SPAIN’s Civil Guard raided printers in Catalonia yesterday, in a desperate hunt to catch anyone making ballot papers for the independence referendum on October 1.
The armed officers staked out the Indugraf Offset printers in Constantí, near Tarragona in southern Catalonia, searching staff and cleaners going in and out of the building.
Spain’s conservative government, desperate to crush the vote, have instructed security forces to prevent any preparations, and to seize any materials that could be used in a referendum.
Pro-independence campaigners from the leftwing CUP party protested outside the firm, handing mocked-up ballot papers over to officers.
“We’ve handed referendum voting slips to the Civil Guard. They don’t have to look for printing houses and pressure workers. They can leave now,” they tweeted.
Just hours after the Catalan parliament passed the legislation to hold an independence referendum on Wednesday, Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy ordered a crackdown on supporters of separation.
“There won’t be a self-determination referendum,” Rajoy told reporters. “I will do whatever is needed, without relinquishing anything, to prevent it.”
Spain’s constitutional courts have suspended the vote, as expected, and have warned all officials in the region, all the mayors in Catalonia, about 1,000 public servants in total, including the regional police chief, to comply with the decision or face consequences.
Earlier, chief prosecutor José Manuel Maza told reporters he had asked security forces to investigate what preparations, if any, the Catalan government had made to hold the referendum.
Maza has already launched lawsuits against the entire Catalan cabinet and all members of the parliament who backed the referendum bill.
They’ve been charged with perversion of justice, disobedience and misuse of public funds.
The director general of Catalan public television, TV3, and Cataluña Radio were also warned by the Spanish government that they had a duty to prevent the vote from being prepared or taking place.
“We all decide together about what belongs to all of us, which is our country,” Rajoy said.
He added: “What happened yesterday is an act of dishonourable disobedience to our democratic institutions,” said Rajoy. “We are all obliged to comply with the decisions of the Constitutional Court.”
Nevertheless, the Catalan government have said they will proceed.
Carles Puigdemont, the president, sent a letter to all the region’s city halls on Thursday asking them to help facilitate the vote.
Yesterday morning, La Vanguardia, a national newspaper printed in Barcelona, reported that more than 600 of the 943 mayors had agreed to help.
Around three had said no.
Barcelona’s mayor,` Ada Colau, has not yet said if the city would open its polling places on October 1. Around 360,000 people are expected to take part in a pro-independence march through the city on Monday.
If yes wins the referendum vote, known as 1-O, the Catalans will declare independence three days later on October 4.
Early yesterday morning, after hours of debate, the parliament passed the Law of Transitional Jurisprudence and Foundation of the Republic – powers they say will allow them to go from being part of Spain to becoming a new independent country.
While the JxSí (Together for Yes) coalition and CUP (Popular Unity Candidacy) backed the Bill, around 62 politicians from Ciutadans (Citizens), PSC (Socialists’ Party of Catalonia) and PP (Popular Party) walked out.
JxSí, deputy Jordi Orobitg said: “Catalonia and all the Catalans are worthy of this opportunity”, before ending his remarks with “Visca Catalunya lliure”, which translates as “Long live free Catalonia”.
CUP deputy Benet Salellas denied that there had ever been an ethno-nationalist rationale behind the Catalonian independence movement. “In this country people have multiple identities – identities that go beyond flags,” he said.
“This isn’t a conflict of Spanish and Catalan law. It’s a debate between an established power and a power that is constructed from below and looks to argue power from the street.”
The leader of the Ciudadanos opposition, Inés Arrimadas, said the push for independence would have devastating consequences for devolution.
“Many of you don’t believe the lies that have been told these last months. Be brave please. We’re putting the self-governance of Catalonia in danger,” warned Arrimadas. She ended: “You’ve burnt all the boats, you’ve broken all the bridges, and you’ll be the only ones that won’t take part in the solution.”
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