Catalans defy police crackdown to vote en masse
Violent reaction by security forces not enough to dissuade voters from turning out in large numbers at polling stations
“Votarém” (we will vote) was the most common chant heard in the run-up to the independence referendum. On Sunday, Catalan voters made good on their promise, defying a violent crackdown by Spanish riot police, to turn out at polling stations all over the country.
The day began with riot police armed with batons and rubber bullets storming polling stations to prevent people from voting. Several hundred people were injured in the clashes, and yet in the evening, there were still long queues outside polling stations all over Catalonia.
With some polling stations closed down by the police raids, and their ballot boxes seized, long queues formed at places that were still open. In some places, people had to wait to vote, as in La Sedeta civic center in Barcelona, where there was a four-hour queue.
Determination to vote
Yet, neither police violence nor long lines were enough to shake the determination of many Catalans to vote. On Friday, thousands occupied public buildings to ensure they could be used as polling stations. In some areas, farmers parked tractors outside polling stations so they could not be sealed off, while in other places firefighters acted as human shields between police and protesters.
On Sunday evening, the Spanish authorities reported that 92 polling stations had been closed down by police, and that three people had been arrested. The ministry also said that 12 Spanish police officers had been hurt. At the same time, the Catalan government reported that 465 members of the public had been injured in clashes with police. Meanwhile, all over the country people still queued for a chance to cast their vote.