Spain's Solicitor General calls for investigation into referendum voters

Spain's Solicitor General has joined an appeal by the SUP police union in Barcelona's provincial high court demanding 36 voters at four polling stations during the October 1, 2017 referendum be investigated for attempting to prevent the police operation to stop the vote.

The union's appeal challenges a ruling by a Barcelona court that said the groups of people outside the polling stations showed only passive resistance due to the circumstances of the situation, with the conflict on the street being the responsibility of the public authorities.

However, the Solicitor General argues that the people concerned "obstructed the police operation" and insulted the officers, using the "intimidatory force" of their numbers, and alleges they showed "serious resistance" involving intimidation and physical force.

The Solicitor General claims  that video evidence shows the people "deliberately" placing themselves to impede the police, while offering "shouts, insults and threatening gestures, and linking their arms together to avoid being removed."  

As for the original ruling that the conflict outside the polling station was caused by the public authorities, the Solicitor General argues that this does not absolve "those who took part in the disturbance" of legal responsibility for their participation.