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Shortly after voting for the referendum to leave Spain ended, Catalan president Carles Puigdemont announced that his people have “won the right to become an independent state.”
Puigemont added that he will be appealing to the European Union and looking into human rights violations by the Spanish police against the people in the prosperous region of Catalonia as they attempted to vote.
Sunday’s votes brought a wave of extreme and shocking violence from the Spanish police, who brutalized the young and elderly alike — as masked officers ripped ballot boxes from the polling places.
Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy claims that the referendum was only being brought on to create division and chaos in the nation, as it has been blocked by the courts as being illegal under their constitution. Supporters of independence argue that the Catalan people are distinct from the rest of Spain and should have their own nation.
“Police brutality will shame forever the Spanish state,” Catalan President Carles Puigdemont told a crowd as they loudly expressed their agreement.
According to the Catalonian Department of Health, 844 people were injured to the point of requiring medical assistance as they attempted to cast their ballots. At least 11 police officers were also injured.
The situation became so dire that the Catalonian Fire Department stepped in to fight the Spanish police and protect the voters.
Despite Spain’s government’s extreme measures to stop the vote from taking place, the majority of polling stations remained open for voting throughout the day.
“They share a distinct language, culture, and historical memory. They have as strong a claim to self-determination as any people,” DC-based lawyer Will Chamberlain, who has been closely following the events, told Big League Politics.
Chamberlain predicts that more powerful nations will force Spain’s hand by recognizing Catalonia, and that Rajoy will have to resign. The brutal violence, he believes, will make it far more difficult for nations to support the Spanish government on this issue.
As the world watched the events unfold in horror, Rajoy told reporters that he hopes Catalan leaders will now give up on their separatist goals and get back to political normality — referring to the vote as “illegal” and a “mockery.”
Given Puigdemont’s announcement and the situation in their streets, it seems highly unlikely that the people of Catalan will be backing down. If anything, it appears that the violence has only strengthened their resolve.