Laurence Dollimore
PARAMILITARY police have raided the HQ of the Catalan government in a bid to shutdown the planned independence referendum.
The offensive, performed by Policia Nacional this morning, is the latest attempt to undermine the region’s vote, scheduled for October 1.
Catalan officials claim Guardia Civil searched several government headquarters, including the economy ministry and foreign ministry.
Three members of the government have also been arrested, according to a statement from the ruling party of Catalonia, PDeCat, on Twitter.
Oriol Junqueras, the vice president of Catalonia, claimed Madrid was ‘attacking all the institutions of the country and with them, all the citizens of Catalonia.’
Pro-secessionist Jordi Sanchez, head of the Catalan National Assembly, called on citizens to gather in front of the economy ministry in Barcelona and protest.
Podemos head Pablo Iglesias said: “It seems to me a shame that in this country there must be political prisoners.”
The central government has been attempting to squash the planned vote since it was announced earlier this year.
They claim it is illegal and unconstitutional, and have vowed to ignore its results.
It comes after Guardia Civil cops confiscated more than 1.3 million pro-independence posters, flyers and pamphlets last weekend.
The move was an attempt in a bid to remove the apparatus that would allow the vote to happen.
On Tuesday they raided the offices of Spain’s biggest private delivery company Unipost and seized over 45,000 envelopes that the Catalan government was to send to notify people about the referendum.
