Spanish police raid Catalan public diplomacy council

Spanish Guardia Civil police officers raided Diplocat, the Catalan public diplomacy council, on Thursday morning. The operation was ordered by the Barcelona court investigating the preparations for the October 1 independence referendum. The police force officers left at about 2:30pm after some five hours. 

Diplocat was shut down last October, when the Spanish government suspended Catalonia’s self-rule and removed its government. Diplocat was a public-private partnership aimed at fostering dialogue and building relationships between Catalonia and the rest of the world.

Diplocat's former communications chief, Martí Estruch, dismissed the police raid as a "propaganda operation," aimed at putting the institution on the spot a day after it finally closes its doors. "Tomorrow, Diplocat is ending its activity and the Spanish government probably wants to show everybody how effective they are," he said.