Catalonia on strike in protest against Spain’s police violence

Catalonia shut down for a day on Tuesday in protest against Spain’s police violence during the independence referendum. The strike, labelled as a “stoppage of a country,” is backed by the Catalan administration both at the national and local levels, and by many businesses as well.

Still, people did not stay home: thousands took to the streets throughout the day all across the country to condemn the police intervention on Sunday, which left 894 injured. Despite the violent crackdown, 2.26 people cast their vote. Following the “yes” victory, the Catalan government announced that it would carry on with independence plans.