Thousands take to streets in Barcelona protesting police violence over referendum

[sandensea]

Source: CBC

Tens of thousands of people took to the streets of Catalonia on Tuesday to protest against Sunday's violent crackdown by Spanish police on an outlawed independence referendum for the region.

Spain's conservative government has said it will respond with "all necessary measures" to counter the Catalan defiance, and is holding talks with national opposition leaders to find multi-partisan consensus on the response, which could include suspending the region's self-government.

Meanwhile, in Barcelona's Catalonia and University squares, a sea of demonstrators waved flags, most of them "esteladas," embraced by those seeking secession, but there were also plenty of Spanish national flags.

One of the biggest groups concentrated around the Spanish national police headquarters in Barcelona, where protesters called them "occupying forces" and called for Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy to resign.

Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/catalonia-barcelona-spain-protests-referendum-1.4318538

---

[yallerdawg]

1. The United States better watch out.

How far away are we from a "Catalonia" on our West Coast?

[BigmanPigman]

2. We do not really want to leave the United States.

We want them (red states) to join us (blue states) instead.

[yallerdawg]

3. Oh, good.

We're kind of dependent on your wealth for all the Federally-provided social services we receive.

It would be terrible if you left.

[BigmanPigman]

4. I think Russia may have played into the tensions in Spain

and used that to further their own agenda to help increase tensions in democratic countries.

I investigated the CA succession stuff 8 months ago and found out that the main person behind it lived in NY and Russia and may have lived in CA for a very brief time. Rachel mentioned it on her show last week I think. Mostly it is another Russia inspired ruse. I AM glad that CA will be getting an earlier vote in the primaries now that Brown signed the bill last week. It will be in March now instead of June.

[AngryAmish]

5. Let the red go.

We will manage fine.

[yallerdawg]

6. Now, to be fair...

California did give us Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan.

I think a Gavin or a Kamala may be overdue!

[Denzil_DC]

7. Spanish police issue plea for reinforcements, saying Catalan harassment 'bad as ETA heyday'

A union of Spain’s Guardia Civil called on Tuesday for urgent reinforcements in Catalonia, accusing the government in Madrid of “abandoning” them to “harassment” it said had reached the level of ETA’s heyday.

Amid anger on Catalan streets over the violent police crackdown on Sunday’s banned independence referendum which left almost 900 injured, the Union of Guardia Civil Officers said agents were being “harassed, manipulated and vilified by the citizens that they serve”.

Hundreds of National Police and Guardia Civil officers have been forced to abandon Catalan hotels in the face of protests by local residents, while thousands of demonstrators descended on the National Police headquarters in Barcelona on Wednesday.

...

"The lamentable incidents that right now are taking place in Catalonia, where the forces and bodies of state security are surrounded in hotels, abandoned to their luck, betrayed by some disloyal Mossos d'Esquadra, encouraged by politicians (that are) TRAITORS to the state, witnessing live on Whatsapp the lynching of our fellow Guardia Civil, do not leave us any other course than to ask that action is taken, that they are liberated, that they are reinforced, that they are assisted, that decisions are taken,” the union said.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/10/03/spanish-police-issue-plea-reinforcements-saying-catalan-harassment/

I dunno. You swoop in on a city, beat the crap out of people, and then they make you feel unwelcome. Terrible.

Snowflakes.