Catalan Government: We Have Achieved the Right to Independence

The Catalan government announced that approximately 2.26 million voters participated in the Sunday referendum on the independence of Catalonia, with 90 percent voting for the independence of this northeastern Spanish region.

– Out of 2,262,424 ballots that were not seized, 2,020,144 marked ‘YES’, 176,566 voters marked ‘NO’, 45,586 ballots were left blank, and 20,129 were invalid, the Catalan government announced on Twitter.

In the region, 5.3 million citizens are registered to vote, and the BBC reports that 42.3 percent turned out for the elections.

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Polling stations in Catalonia closed at 8 PM, and citizens expressed their opinions on independence despite a court ban on the referendum and police intervention.

Spanish police dispersed citizens who defended polling stations with their bodies during the occupation of 92 schools with ballot boxes, resulting in 844 injuries, including twelve police officers, while four individuals were arrested. The highest number of injuries occurred in Barcelona, totaling 294, according to the Catalan medical service.

Catalan President Carles Puigdemont stated on Sunday evening that after the referendum, “the right for Catalonia to be an independent state in the form of a republic has been achieved,” while unions and groups advocating for independence announced a general strike for Tuesday.

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The results of the referendum will be sent to the Catalan parliament to apply the provision that in the case of a ‘YES’ vote victory, independence should be declared.

Puigdemont addressed the European Union, stating that Catalonia “is no longer an internal issue” and that Spain’s “behavior attacks its fundamental principles.” He thanked the residents who participated in the voting, especially those who were injured.

– The government I preside over will send to parliament in the coming days an expression of the desire for the sovereignty of our people, the results of today’s voting so that the referendum law can be applied, said Puigdemont.

Earlier this evening, Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy called on the Catalan government to “abandon new steps that lead nowhere.” The Spanish Constitutional Court previously annulled the referendum law passed in the Catalan parliament and declared the voting illegal.

Groups advocating for the independence of Catalonia and unions announced a general strike for Tuesday in protest against the police action directed against the referendum and to harness the momentum of the people expressed on Sunday.

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Barcelona Mayor Ada Colau criticized the police action.

– As the mayor of Barcelona, I demand an immediate halt to the police action against unarmed citizens, she said after voting in the referendum.

Rajoy noted that the police acted in accordance with the law and that the events were solely the responsibility of the Catalan government for “promoting the violation of the law.”

Although the result of the referendum is still unknown, it is quite likely that the advocates for independence won, as they were the ones who made the most effort in organizing the voting, while opponents largely did not turn out after it was banned by the court.

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Spanish police dispersed citizens who defended polling stations with their bodies during the occupation of 92 schools with ballot boxes, resulting in 844 injuries, including twelve police officers, while four individuals were arrested. The highest number of injuries occurred in Barcelona, totaling 294, according to the Catalan medical service.

– The European Union can no longer look the other way, emphasized Puigdemont, adding that Spain has written a “shameful” page in its relations with the northeastern province.

General Strike on Tuesday

Groups advocating for the independence of Catalonia and unions announced a general strike for Tuesday in protest against the police action directed against the referendum and to harness the momentum of the people expressed on Sunday.

The strike was called by Jordi Cuixart, president of the Ómnium Cultural organization, and one coordinator who organized residents in Barcelona to prevent the police from entering the local school where they voted stated that it would certainly take place.

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Catalonia is one of the most developed provinces industrially and touristically, accounting for about 20 percent of Spain’s GDP.

– What happened is a shame for the Spanish state. On Tuesday, we will respond with a strike, said the coordinator.