Catalonians defend a referendum for independence from Spain, 2017

On 6 September 2017, the Catalan parliament voted in favor of holding a referendum on Catalan independence. Fifty two (out of a total of 135) members of Catalan parliament walked out in protest of the vote. Spanish government officials warned that the decision to hold a referendum was a violation of the Spanish constitution. The deputy prime minister of Spain declared the Spanish government’s intention to “defend freedom, democracy and coexistence.” “Let no one doubt that we know what we have to do and that we will do it,” she added. Undeterred, the government of Catalonia continued on with the preparation of the referendum, scheduled for 1 October 2017.

Catalonia is an autonomous region in northern Spain that has for decades operated with its own local government in the form of a parliament. Catalonia remains subject to the Spanish constitution, but it legislates its own laws as well. Since the 2008 economic crisis,a movement had developed in Catalonia calling for complete independence from Spain. In 2014, the Catalan government held a ‘symbolic referendum’ in which less than 40% of Catalan’s eligible voters participated. Among those who participated in the 2014 symbolic referendum, 80% voted for independence and 20% voted against.

As preparations began for the independence referendum, both Spain’s constitutional court and Catalonia’s supreme court ordered the Spanish state police and local Catalan police (Mossos d'Esquadra) to seal off buildings that the government planned to use for the upcoming referendum. The court also issued official warnings to the politicians in the Catalan government that, if they continue preparing for the referendum, the court would  hold them criminally liable, as the referendum contravened the constitution of Spain. 

On 9 September 2017, the Spanish Civil Guard raided the headquarters of El Vallenc, a local newspaper. The Civil Guard officers stated they conducted the raid due to suspected connections between the news outlet and the independence referendum. After locals heard about the raid, around 200 people gathered in front of the building to support the journalists being investigated. The protestors who arrived chanted, “Where are the ballots?” as they held up banners reading “DEMOCRACY” out of concern that ballots to be used in the referendum had been confiscated. The same day, the Civil Guard raided the printing office belonging to Indugraf Offset, a printing company, and attempted to seize ballots and other equipment related to the referendum.

On 19 September, the Civil Guard seized over 45,000 letters relating to the referendum after raiding the offices of Unipost postal service. A few hundred protestors arrived at the Unipost office to protest the raid, and a number of protestors blocked the entrance to the building. The Civil Guard removed protestors from the entrance after a few hours. 

On 20 September 2017, the Spanish Civil Guard officially launched ‘Operation Anubis’ as per the directive put out by Barcelona’s 13th trial court in the capital of Catalonia. The court aimed to take apart the institutional framework of the referendum such that the Catalan government could not properly hold the referendum on 1 October as planned. The operation consisted of Spanish Civil Guard agents raiding 41 locations, including various Catalan government headquarters for the ministries of economy, foreign affairs, labor, government, and the office of the Vice President of Catalonia for search and seizure of any referendum related materials. The operation resulted in the arrest of 14 people, including political administrators and CEOs of private companies involved in the preparation of the referendum. The Civil Guard officers also confiscated ballot boxes and literature regarding the referendum. One of the buildings they raided was a warehouse outside of Barcelona where the Civil Guard confiscated nearly 10 million paper ballots.

Later that day, the Spanish national police attempted to raid the office of the CUP (a pro-independence Catalan political party), but they were unable to enter as they did not have a legal warrant to search the premises. Their arrival at CUP headquarters prompted a call from CUP leaders to their supporters to “protect our headquarters”; around 1,000 protestors arrived to protest outside the building. The protestors began a sit-in in order to prevent additional police forces from entering the building and preventing  police officers that were already in the building from leaving. The police remained in the building for eight hours until they eventually left without having searched the premises or arresting any protestors. 

In reaction to the raids, pro-independence groups called for Catalonians to take to the streets to protest the national guard’s operation. Forty thousand demonstrators arrived at the various Catalan ministries to protest the raids and arrests. Protesters waved red and yellow flags and chanted, “We will vote” and “Hello Democracy!” A spokesman for the Catalan National Assembly (ANC) said: “They made a big mistake; we wanted to vote and they declared war.” The mayor of Barcelona encouraged protestors and warned that the Civilian Guard’s operation’s goal was to “threaten the sovereignty of Catalonia and its institutions.” The demonstration continued late into the day with stages set up in several major junctions in Barcelona. Performances took place on the stages and included musical bands and castells (a traditional Catalan performative sport involving creating human towers).

During the protests against the raids on 20 September, the Civil Guard sent multiple calls to Catalan police for reinforcements, but the Catalan police did not intervene until late in the night, when most of the protestors had dispersed. Then, protestors vandalized the cars in which the Civil Guard arrived.. That night, protestors gathered in most municipalities (around 40) in Catalonia to protest the day’s operation. Protestors sang songs, chanted slogans, and banged on pots and pans (known in Catalonia as ‘cassolada’). During an opera performance that night, attendees interrupted by yelling slogans in favor of the referendum and sang the Catalan anthem.

In the wake of Operation Anubis, many Catalan organizations and groups condemned the raids and saw them as a direct attack on Catalonian autonomy. These organizations included every Catalan public university, all worker and student unions of Catalonia, and Catalonia’s soccer clubs. That week, a number of Catalonian politicians walked out of the Spanish congress in protest over what happened on 20 September.

On 21 September, pro-independence demonstrators protested outside Barcelona’s supreme court, calling for the release of those arrested in the raid the day before. Although the police released two political administrators the night before, 12 government officials remained in Spanish custody. The ANC called on Catalonians to come out to protest in the street and to stay there to ensure the referendum would be held on 1 October. The same day, the Port of Barcelona stevedores union voted to reject the completion of any work relating to the police ships used to carry out operations to stop the referendum. Hundreds of students walked out of class in order to block major roads in Barcelona, and they assembled in front of the supreme court in protest of the continued detainment of the “political prisoners.” At the same time, a counter protest formed in front of the Civil Guard headquarters, where dozens of counter protesters showed their support for the operation and the cancellation of the referendum. The police arrested these counter protesters when they attempted to block traffic.

The regional council of Sardinia (an autonomous region of Italy) announced on 21 September that they would help store the ballots and equipment needed to conduct the independence referendum for the Catalonian government.

On 22 September, the 13th trial court released the remaining prisoners on bail after charging them all with crimes of “disobedience to the Constitutional Court, perverting the course of justice, and embezzlement.” The same day, the State Attorney General charged the leaders of the two largest pro-independence movements (ANC and Omnium Cultural) with sedition on account of their roles organizing the mass protests on 20 September. Protests continued, including those held outside of Barcelona's supreme court, and students continued protesting and organized sit-ins at their respective universities throughout Catalonia. 

On 25 September, El Nacional reported that, in the weeks leading up to the referendum, the Civil Guard had removed or blocked over 140 websites related to the referendum, including that of the ANC. On 29 September, a Barcelona judge ordered Google to remove an app offering information on the referendum from the Google Play Store. 

On 1 October 2017, the referendum was held throughout Catalonia. Spanish police and Civil Guard mobilized to obstruct people from voting and close down as many polling stations as possible. The Spanish government stated that 336 of 2,300 polling stations had been shut down. The day was filled with violent clashes between Spanish law enforcement and Catalan voters. Videos began circulating online of police beating people who had their hands up, of police dragging voters from polling stations by their hair, and of police attacking Catalan firefighters. According to the official report by the government of Catalonia, 1,066 civilians, 11 agents of the Civil Guard, and 1 officer of the regional police were injured on the day of the referendum. Likely due to the brutal crackdown by state police, turnout was limited to 42%. The Catalonian government further admitted that up to 770,000 votes were lost due to police seizure of ballots. Of the votes counted, 90% supported secession from Spain. 

In the days that followed, multiple European politicians condemned the Spanish police’s conduct and the Spanish government’s rhetoric (calling the referendum illegal and to be shut down). On 18 October 2017, Human Rights Watch published a report of their investigation of the events on the day of the referendum and found that Spanish police used excessive force in their repression of the vote on Catalonian independence. Amnesty International joined in the concerns and condemnation voiced by Human Rights Watch in their report.

On 27 October 2017, the Parliament of Catalonia unilaterally declared independence, citing the results of the 1 October referendum as justification. In response, the Spanish prime minister invoked Article 155 of the Spanish constitution, which allowed for the Spanish government to suspend Catalonia's political autonomy and impose direct rule by the Spanish government. The Spanish government dismissed the government of Catalonia, scheduled new elections for Catalonian leaders on 21 December 2017. Ultimately, the referendum was held, but due to the low turnout and the Spanish government’s dissolution of Catalonia’s parliament, the campaign failed vis-a-vis promoting Catalonian independence.