'Police violence' during referendum 'worth it' to show political situation abroad, says Roger Español

One year ago, Roger Español was a musician, father, and a pro-independence supporter albeit not an activist. But on October 1, 2017, on the day of the referendum, he was shot in the eye with a rubber bullet by Spanish police, resulting in him losing his vision in that eye. And now, he is more involved than ever in Catalonia's push for sovereignty from Spain, he said in an interview with the Catalan News Agency (ACN) just days before the anniversary of the vote.

He was hospitalized for days. It took him months to recover, and a great effort to combine his previous life with what happened after October 1. "It was completely worth it," he told ACN regarding the actions that took place at a Barcelona polling station, as citizens tried to prevent Spanish police from taking away ballot boxes and putting a halt to the vote.

"Same objectives"

"On that day I realized that there are many people in the neighbourhood I've lived all my life who think the same as me, and who have the same objectives," he said. "It could be imagined, but not perceived." Actions of the police on that day brought people together, he explained.

"The beatings, charges, the rubber billets - a dozen according to calculations – were used to hurt, but also with regard to foreign public opinion the reality we find here could be seen a little more clearly," he said. "The police and political repression, the lack of separation of powers," he highlighted.

Although Español believed the referendum day would be "complicated", he said that he never imagined it would arrive "to such levels of police violence, and the firing of rubber bullets, which is prohibited in Catalonia, in order to hinder the referendum when they'd already removed ballot boxes."

"It wasn't just to hinder the referendum, but also to punish the people," he stated. 

Under investigation

Español is being investigated by a judge for having allegedly thrown a fence at agents.

His summoning has caused outrage on social media, as Español was seen as the face of the result of the police violence that took place on that day.

Also involved in the investigation are 13 more Spanish police officers for their conductduring their vote, specifically at a Barcelona school used as a polling station.  Videos show aggressive behaviour on part of the police against people trying to cast their ballot. Civil lawsuits were filed against them. 

In addition, five other police officers are being investigated. They are are seen on camera punching and kicking voters as they forcibly remove them from a stairwell, with one woman roughly dragged down the stairs.