Spain’s prosecutor orders Catalan police to seal off polling stations this weekend

Schools, libraries, medical and community centers, as well as other sites which are expected to be used as polling stations must remain closed off from this Friday to Sunday night, in order to prevent the referendum from taking place. This is what the prosecutor ordered the Catalan police, the Mossos, to do on Tuesday evening. Additionally, it ordered the corps that a diameter of 100 meters from big polling stations must be sealed off. The aim is not only for the vote not to take place in the sites planned by the Catalan government, but also anywhere nearby.

The Catalan police officers will have to guard the areas and if any site manages to open or anyone occupies it, they will have to identify the people inside. The prosecutor also made it clear that it might order the local police of Catalan towns, the Spanish police or the Guardia Civil military police to help. The Mossos have already answered this order by saying that sealing off polling stations can lead to problems of public order. The referendum is expected to take place in 6,000 sites throughout the country.