Spanish Police Close Polling Stations To Stop Voters

[DonViejo]

Source: Newsweek




BY MARIA PEREZ ON 9/30/17 AT 11:50 AM

Spanish police have closed off schools that were designated polling stations and occupied the Catalan government’s communications hub on Saturday in an effort to stop voters from voting on a secession from Spain.

Many supporters of the poll stayed overnight in schools with their children and plan on staying there until Sunday to keep the polls open for other voters, despite a Spanish government source saying more than half of the schools have been sealed off, Reuters reports.

There have been 1,300 schools shut down in the area that were earmarked as polling places, and 163 of those schools were occupied by families.

The Catalan government said police have settled into its communications hub and will remain there for the next two days after it was ordered by Catalonia’s High Court to police to stop electronic voting. The Court also instructed Google to delete an application that was issued to inform civilians on the vote.



Read more: http://www.newsweek.com/spanish-police-shut-down-polling-places-stop-voters-674976

[Marthe48]

1. bet trump's henchmen are taking notes

n/t

[enid602]

2. Sloppy

I've read the first sentence of the fourth paragraph several times, but cannot make sense of it.

[TomCADem]

5. Didn't Know You Could Just Hold a Referendum to Secede

Could White Nationalists hold a referendum in the U.S. to reinstate slavery?

[jmowreader]

7. No, but this isn't Spain

[nycbos]

3. This is not only wrong this is extremely stupid.

Before this "showdown" most polls that I saw had the "No" side winning. I am sure all this has done is push No voters to the Yes side if a vote takes place in the future.

[Pugster]

4. You're assuming there will be no voter fraud

No reason to take chances in an illegal referendum.

[Denzil_DC]

13. Does "taking chances" include extreme state brutality?

Does non-violent illegality legitimize extreme state brutality? Illegality usually results in arrest and trial, not gratuitous punishment beatings.

You've dodged my questions on other recent threads about Catalonia. Where the hell are you coming from?

[ansible]

6. Spain did much worse to the basques before

Separatism is not something to be taken lightly in Spain

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basque_conflict

[briv1016]

8. It's like looking into the future.

[DoubleAgentOrange]

9. Disgusting

I don't blame the Catalan people for wanting to liberate themselves from the misrule of El Caudillito, Guernicunt, and the PPerroSOEholes.

[weydowner]

10. how to make a crisis out of a drama

Good Old Hypocritical Europe; quite happy to support tribes/races/separatists who want independence unless it strikes on home ground.
Countries are like rabid dogs and a bone; maybe they don't like what they have but will fight like ferrets in a sack to keep the status quo.

[itcfish]

11. According to the Constitution of Spain

The Act of Seceding from the “Union” is illegal. Each region was given its autonomy, similar to that of our states. The Catalan government has broken the law. Aside from breaking the law, there was absolutely no control over the voting process, the ballots were stuffed, people voted up to 10 times with fake IDs. Last but not least, Federal funds, (funds from the central government were used to finance this illegal election) and many many other laws broken. If I read the law correctly, there would have been a correct constitutional process to proceed with this type of Referendum.

[Denzil_DC]

12. Lots of claims.

Where's your proof?

Where's your proof of "ballot-stuffing" and people voting up to 10 times ? I've seen footage of somebody randomly testing the system, and his vote was rejected because of the systems in place despite the Spanish government's heavy-handed attempts at sabotage.

I could go on.

So what's the usual penalty for breaking the law in a civilized country?

It's arrest and due process.

How many of those voting yesterday or peacefully blockading or simply gathering outside voting places were arrested? I've seen no reports of any. That wasn't what the whole Guardia exercise was about.

Already some of the leaders within the Catalan independence movement are in custody, but that happened before yesterday.

The usual penalty for breaking the law in a civilized country is not summary justice and gratuitous random brutal punishment beatings and maimings at the hands of state thugs.

Be very careful what you excuse in the name of the law.

If the Spanish government had allowed the vote to go ahead and dismissed the whole exercise as a glorified, imperfect - and illegal - opinion poll, then the whole situation wouldn't have been so incendiary and lasting harm wouldn't have been done to the Catalan polity. Even those in its government who supported the referendum but opposed independence are now despairing at the impossibility of healing these fresh wounds.

I'd rather not excuse the exercise of gratuitous state force in the face of non-violent civil disobedience.

[itcfish]

14. My proof?

Reporters from reputable outlets standing on line, over and over again voting over and over again with their ID's showing they were residents of Madrid.

The authorites that were arrested were warned not to use public funds for this excerise over and over again, that it would be considered misappropriation of public money.

Everything is not black and white as you would like to paid. I personally cannot stand the Conservative Government of the PP (Partido Popular) but there is a long history of corruption withing the Catalan Government, starting with the President of la Generalitat Jordi Pujol who stole Billions from the Spain and hid the money in Andorra, the Gran Cayman and Panama.

If you want more of the history of Catalonia let me know.

[Denzil_DC]

15. These are assertions, not proof.

I asked for proof. You still haven't provided it.

And what's black and white about anything I've posted?

I am infuriated that people conducting themselves peacefully have been brutalized by the Guardia. Maybe that's black and white enough for you.

Have you no condemnation for that, or do you think the Catalans who were subject to it were asking for it?