The Catalan referendum was arranged up by the leaders of Catalonia and their people. They wished to vote for their independence and showed it via various marches and rallies in the streets. An incident on Sunday, when the police were heavy-handed in trying to repress the vote, left 900 injured. This spurred more Catalonians to vote for independence. Although Spain has tried hard to stop the vote by barricading voting precincts and sending police to stop voters beforehand, they were ineffective.
Catalonia and its people
Catalonia is an autonomous community of Spain which has four provinces, the largest being Barcelona.
Barcelona is also the second largest and most populated municipality in Spain. In 2014, their GDP was 200 billion euros, the highest in Spain. The people of Catalonia have their own language and national anthem. They are one of the autonomous regions of Spain. Today, Catalonia is headed by Carles Puigdemont.
Violence during the vote
The police were sent to block and stop the illegal vote from happening. According to CNN, 893 people were injured as the police dragged people away from the voting precincts and fired rubber bullets. People in Barcelona were enraged with the violence and protested fervently. People in Barcelona protested and some shouted for the police to get out. Tension and animosity are rising between the police and the protesters.
According to CNN, Barcelona mayor Ada Colau was against the decision to deploy police officers against the people who wanted to vote. The mayor also asked what kind of message Spain was trying to send by doing so?
What are the results of the vote?
After the vote on Sunday, 90 percent of the voters opted for independence. According to the BBC, the Catalan President Carles Puigdemont, recently announced that his government will act on the independence by the end of this week or the start of the next.
However, there are questions as to whether the vote was decisive. According to CNN, the turnout of the vote was only 42 peAuthoritiesthories said it was partly because of the police crackdown that the turnout of the vote was low. According to CNN, the public opinion regarding the independence of Catalonia from Spain still remains split.
According to CNN, the Spanish Prime Minister considered the act to be a serious act of disobedience and disloyalty. The European Union leaders and the European Commission hold the same views as the Spanish government, that the Catalan referendum was indeed illegal.
