If nothing else, Spain now has a publicity nightmare on its hands. But its violent attempts to suppress an vote — illegal as they claim or not — seem like they can only serve to make the resolve of Catalans (Catalonians?) for independence all that much firmer. If the majority of Catalans were not for independence before today they are much more likely to be after what is happening today.
What’s next? Tanks?
Check out the police person at 00:26 approaching and batoning someone completely randomly.
Pulling a woman by the hair at 00:30+.
Beating people sitting down doing nothing, then shooting rubber bullets.
It’s not just in one place, either, as the Guardian reports:
The Catalan health ministry has provided more details on the 465 people injured by police violence: 216 were hurt in Barcelona, 80 in Girona, 64 in Lleida, 53 in Terres de l’Ebre, 27 in Catalunya central and 25 in Tarragona.
The two most seriously injured are in hospitals in Barcelona.
Sunday, Oct 1, 2017 · 4:29:16 PM +00:00 · jpmassar
Reports of tear gas (via Google translate):
A group of dozens of Spanish police officers broke out in the town hall square of Aiguaviva (Gironès) when people who joined the polling station that had settled there made a fraternity lunch . Everything was full of families, with scoundrel and elderly people; People have lifted their hands and remained motionless, when the agents attacked them with bumps and then with the launch of tear gas.