Spanish police officers testify in the independence trial

Guardia Civil officers who were injured during the referendum speak as witnesses

Spanish Guardia Civil police officers clash with voters on referendum day (by Jordi Pujolar) / ACN

ACN | Madrid

First published: April 3, 2019 04:26 PM

Half a dozen Spanish police officers gave their testimony in the Catalan independence trial on Wednesday afternoon.

Guardia Civil officers recalled their experience during the independence referendum on October 1, 2017. Some of them were allegedly injured during the operation to stop the vote.

One Guardia Civil officer testifying on Wednesday said that voters took away his shield and baton: "I was on the floor, being kicked and punched. I even lost my helmet," he said.

Another officer said that voters called them “murderers, sons of bitches, and repressive forces," adding: "They tried to steal the shield from me, and my left wrist was injured."

The same Guardia Civil officer also said he was "kicked and hit" by voters, and added that people spat on the police.

Another witness described efforts to get into the polling station at Sant Cebrià de Vallalta, saying voters called the police "fascists," while the Catalan police "didn't do anything."

The officer added that the protesters in Sant Cebrià de Vallalta even tried to steal his pistol: "Thank god they couldn't figure out the mechanism to take it out of its holster," he said.

Earlier on the day, the second-in-command of the Catalan police during the independence vote, Ferran López, denied allegations that his officers didn’t do enough to stop the vote.