At least 450 people have been injured during violent clashes between riot police units and people intent on exercising their right to vote for Catalonia’s independence in Spain.
There was a heavy police presence around key locations in Catalonia since early this morning, as polling stations opened for a controversial independence referendum.
Spain’s central government in Madrid had not given permission for the voting to go ahead, going as far as deeming it ‘illegal’.
Riot police units stormed several polling stations in early morning, forcibly removing ballot boxes, voter lists and related material.
Violence soon erupted and escalated all over Catalonia, as police clashed with citizens attending voting stations. Rubber bullets, which are banned in Catalonia for the last three years, were used to disperse crowds, according to witnesses. Riot police carried out charges and used riot shields to clear paths for official vehicles.
Catalonia’s claim for independence has been long and arduous. The wealthy region has its own dialect and a history of silent opposition to Madrid’s centralized government.