Catalan Groups Call for Peaceful Referendum

Urge Voters to Line Up Orderly at Polling Places

Top Catalan officials and the major pro-secession organizations in Catalonia are urging prospective voters to come out in an orderly fashion for Sunday’s scheduled referendum, The groups say voters should remain peaceful in the face of a Spanish police’s planned crackdown.

Catalan students hand out ballots

The groups say peaceful resistance is vital for the referendum, and that millions of people lining up to peacefully cast votes will be more impressive than any rally in the face of police opposition.

Thousands of Spanish police have been deployed into Catalonia to try to prevent the vote. There are 2,500 voting stations, and Spain has suggested the police will physically be at all those sites to prevent any voters getting in.

Catalan regional officials insist that voting will go ahead as planned, and that they have plans in place to circumvent Spanish efforts to prevent the public from casting votes.  Though polls initially showed the public split on the matter, the Spanish crackdown is believed to be swaying some voters toward secession.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.