Thousands More Spanish Police Arrive for Catalonia Crackdown

Police Ferried Into City on a Looney Tunes-Themed Boat

The increasingly aggressive police crackdown on the Catalonia referendum is taking a lot more police. Spain reported some 5,000 national police are already based there, and 3,000 to 4,000 more have been reported to have arrived.

An unusual aspect of his is that three ferries have been bringing police into the city of Barcelona en masse, and all are festooned with Looney Tunes characters, part of a promotion being run by the company that owns the ferries.

The growing police presence and aggressive crackdowns are fueling mounting protests among the Catalan population, with thousands taking to the streets of Barcelona, and dock workers refusing to provide services to the police staying on the ferries.

The Catalan secession referendum is scheduled for October 1, and while police have been arresting officials involved, top regional officials say the vote will go on as scheduled. The Spanish government has responded with more and more police.

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.