Catalan police were to 'mediate' in closure of polling stations on October 1, official tells court

The former head of information of the Catalan police, Manuel Castellví, told the Supreme Court on Thursday that they obeyed the judicial orders to prevent the referendum from happening, and in order to comply with the law, they were given instructions to "mediate" with voters to close down the polling stations where they were rallying. 

He also said that he warned the Catalan government of concerns about a potential "escalation of violence" on the day of the October 1 referendum.

Criticism of Catalan government

Giving testimony in the independence trial, Castellví also criticized the Catalan government for thinking that the October 1 referendum would be "like a normal election," and said he urged them to comply with court orders demanding the referendum be stopped.

However, the former police official said that the Catalan president at the time, Carles Puigdemont, insisted that the referendum would go ahead because there was a "mandate from the Catalan people" to do so.

Castellví's testimony came after Spanish officials had appeared in court in previous days, criticizing the Catalan police for not doing enough to stop the vote that had been declared illegal by the courts.

239 polling stations did not open 

Yet, the former police official told the court that 239 polling stations in Catalonia did not open their doors on the day of the referendum thanks to the work done by the Catalan police in the days leading up to the vote.