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Catalonia referendum: 90% voted for independence, say officials – live updates
Catalonia referendum: 90% voted for independence, say officials – live updates
(35 minutes later)
1.10am BST
01:10
Summary
90% of the 2.26 million Catalans who voted on Sunday voted in favour of independence, according to preliminary results released by the region’s government. The region has 5.3 million voters. Officials said 770,000 votes were lost due to disruption which resulted in polling stations being raided by Spanish police.
Carles Puigdemont, Catalan’s leader, announced in a televised statement that the region had earned the right to become an independent state and that results would be passed the region’s parliament in the coming days.
In a press conference shortly before Puigdemont’s, a defiant Mariano Rajoy, the Spanish prime minister, said no referendum had been held today and blamed unrest on the Catalan government.
According to the Catalan department of health, 761 people were injured in the unrest. Two were seriously injured and remain in hospitals in Barcelona. At least 10 police officers are said to have been injured.
Videos from earlier in the day show police hitting people in the crowd with batons while voters hold up their hands, police dragging voters from polling stations by their hair and Spanish police attacking Catalan firefighters.
Rajoy praised the police and said they acted with “firmness and serenity”.
Socialist leader Pedro Sánchez urged the Spanish government to negotiate with Catalonia and said Spanish and Catalan leaders had failed so far.
There have been several calls by Catalan politicians and opposition MPs for the Spanish prime minister to resign over the hardline police response.
The UK Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, asked Prime Minister Theresa May to intervene “to find political solution to the crisis”.
Barcelona’s La Liga match against Las Palmas was played at an empty Camp Nou after the Catalan club’s request for the match to be postponed due to unrest was rejected.
More than 40 unions and associations in Catalonia have called a region-wide strike on Tuesday in protest against today’s “grave violation of rights”.
1.02am BST
01:02
Puigdemont blamed the situation in Catalonia on the “intransigence, the repression, the complete denial of reality, the hostility seen during the democratic demands made by our country”.
12.56am BST
00:56
Carles Puigdemont, the head of the region’s government, made this video announcement earlier. He said: “On this day of hope and suffering, Catalonia’s citizens have earned the right to have an independent state in the form of a republic ... We have earned the right to be listened to, respected and recognised.”
12.52am BST
00:52
Unions and Catalan associations have called for a region-wide strike on Tuesday due to “the grave violation of rights and freedoms”, calling on people to take to the streets in Catalonia.
12.36am BST
12.36am BST
00:36
00:36
Turull, the Catalan government spokesman, says authorities have calculated that a total of 770,000 votes were lost because of the disruption. “Four hundred schools [used as polling stations] have been sealed and many votes have been directly stolen,” he said.
Turull, the Catalan government spokesman, says authorities have calculated that a total of 770,000 votes were lost because of the disruption. “Four hundred schools [used as polling stations] have been sealed and many votes have been directly stolen,” he said.
12.31am BST
12.31am BST
00:31
00:31
The turnout was 42%, say Catalan officials. On Sunday afternoon, the Spanish interior ministry said police had closed 79 of the 2,315 polling stations set up for the referendum. Earlier,, the Catalan government had reported that, despite the police’s efforts, voting was taking place in 96% of polling stations.
The turnout was 42%, say Catalan officials. On Sunday afternoon, the Spanish interior ministry said police had closed 79 of the 2,315 polling stations set up for the referendum. Earlier,, the Catalan government had reported that, despite the police’s efforts, voting was taking place in 96% of polling stations.
12.23am BST
12.23am BST
00:23
00:23
Monday’s front page from daily newspaper La Vanguardia, the main newspaper in Catalonia. The downpage story says Puigdemont will raise the DUI – or unilateral declaration of independence – in parliament in the coming days.
Monday’s front page from daily newspaper La Vanguardia, the main newspaper in Catalonia. The downpage story says Puigdemont will raise the DUI – or unilateral declaration of independence – in parliament in the coming days.
“El Gobierno reprime el 1-O”, en la portada de este lunes https://t.co/55PFcxE501 pic.twitter.com/OJtXoGj6cD
“El Gobierno reprime el 1-O”, en la portada de este lunes https://t.co/55PFcxE501 pic.twitter.com/OJtXoGj6cD
12.10am BST
12.10am BST
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00:10
The Catalan president, Carles Puigdemont, has welcomed the preliminary results.
The Catalan president, Carles Puigdemont, has welcomed the preliminary results.
He pressed ahead with the referendum despite opposition from the Spanish state and the region’s own high court.
He pressed ahead with the referendum despite opposition from the Spanish state and the region’s own high court.
impressionant la resposta dels ciutadans. Legitimitat i dignitat! https://t.co/avK4YiB1eT
impressionant la resposta dels ciutadans. Legitimitat i dignitat! https://t.co/avK4YiB1eT
12.05am BST
12.05am BST
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📊 Resultats del Referèndum de #1OCT pic.twitter.com/2jGFL1xLz1
📊 Resultats del Referèndum de #1OCT pic.twitter.com/2jGFL1xLz1
12.01am BST
12.01am BST
00:01
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Jordi Turull, a Catalan regional government spokesman, said early on Monday that 90% of the 2.26 million Catalans who voted on Sunday voted in favour of independence. The region has 5.3 million voters.
Jordi Turull, a Catalan regional government spokesman, said early on Monday that 90% of the 2.26 million Catalans who voted on Sunday voted in favour of independence. The region has 5.3 million voters.
He said nearly 8% of voters rejected independence and the rest of the ballots were blank or void. He said 15,000 votes were still being counted.
He said nearly 8% of voters rejected independence and the rest of the ballots were blank or void. He said 15,000 votes were still being counted.
12.00am BST
00:00
We are restarting this blog after the Catalan government announced preliminary results for the independence referendum that showed a 90% “yes” vote. We will bring you the latest updates here.
11.07pm BST
23:07
Evening summary
Nicola Slawson
We are going to close this blog now. Thanks so much for joining us today on what has been an extraordinary day in Spain’s history as Catalonia held a referendum on its independence in the face of a police crackdown.
Here’s a roundup of the evening’s events:
Carles Puigdemont, Catalan’s leader, announced in a televised statement that the region had earned the right to become an independent state and that results of the contentious referendum were expected in a few days.
In a press conference shortly before, a defiant Mariano Rajoy, the Spanish prime minister, said no referendum had been held today and blamed unrest on the Catalan government.
Socialist leader Pedro Sánchez urged the Spanish government to negotiate with Catalonia and said Spanish and Catalan leaders had failed so far.
Videos from earlier in the day show police hitting people in the crowd with batons while voters hold up their hands, police dragging voters from polling stations by their hair and Spanish police attacking Catalan firefighters.
Rajoy praised the police and said they acted with “firmness and serenity”.
According to the Catalan department of health, 761 people were injured in the unrest. Two were seriously injured and remain in hospitals in Barcelona.
At least 10 police officers are said to have been injured.
There have been several calls by Catalan politicians and opposition MPs for the Spanish prime minister to resign over the hardline police response.
The Liberal Democrat leader, Vince Cable urged Boris Johnson to make clear that the violence against voters was unacceptable, while Scotland’s first minister, Nicola Sturgeon, called the foreign office’s statement “shamefully weak”. Earlier, the Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, asked Theresa May to intervene “to find political solution to the crisis”.
Barcelona’s La Liga match against Las Palmas was played at an empty Camp Nou after the Catalan club’s request for the match to be postponed due to unrest was rejected.
More than 40 unions and associations in Catalonia have called a region-wide strike on Tuesday in protest against today’s “grave violation of rights”.
Here’s the full report:
Here’s more on the violence at polling stations:
Updated
at 11.11pm BST
11.06pm BST
23:06
More than 40 unions and associations in Catalonia have called a region-wide strike for Tuesday, after a major police crackdown on a banned independence referendum.
In a statement on Sunday, UGT and CCOO, Spain’s biggest unions, the Catalan national assembly (ANC), a powerful pro-independence civil association, and 41 other organisations called for a large-scale strike in protest against “the grave violation of rights and freedoms” today.
The statement continued:
We call all society, on employers’ organisations, business owners, unions, workers, self-employed workers, institutions and all the citizens of Catalonia to stop the ‘country’ on Tuesday, October 3.
Pro-independence Catalans often refer to the northeastern region as a “country.”
Updated
at 11.09pm BST
10.19pm BST
22:19
Catalonia’s Carles Puigdemont said the door had today been opened to a unilateral declaration of independence.
He said in a televised address:
With this day of hope and suffering, the citizens of Catalonia have won the right to an independent state in the form a republic.
He also said that the EU could no longer “continue to look the other way” from human rights violations around the referendum.
On the violence at polling stations, he said:
The Spanish government has today written a shameful page in its relationship with Catalonia.
His speech was welcomed by those watching on a big screen, ITN’s Dominic Reynolds reports.
Roars at the end of Catalan President's speech in central square. Hinted a declaration of Independence is incoming. #catalonia pic.twitter.com/1WjltY80kk
9.58pm BST
21:58
Carles Puigdemont said that the “citizens of Catalonia have earned the right to have an independent state.”
He said official results of the vote, which have not yet announced, will be sent to the parliament to proceed.
Making a direct appeal to the EU, he said: “We Catalans have earned the right to be heard in Europe.”
Updated
at 10.54pm BST
9.52pm BST
21:52
Catalonia has 'earned right to statehood'
Carles Puigdemont, Catalan’s leader, has announced that the region has won the right to become an independent state with vote results expected in a few days.
More to follow.
Updated
at 10.01pm BST
9.37pm BST
21:37
Carles Puigdemont, the president of Catalonia, is due to speak soon we have been told. We’ll bring the key points from that press conference when we have it.
In the meantime, here’s an interesting thread from Fernando Rodriguez-Vila that is doing the rounds on Twitter and is worth a read.
I'm a dual Spanish citizen, and I'm half Catalan and half Castilian so this whole situation in Spain has been very disheartening to me.
8.58pm BST
20:58
Here’s a roundup of the reaction to today’s unrest in Catalonia. While some have expressed outrage at the level of violence, others perhaps mindful of separatist movements in their own nations, sounded a note of caution
Guy Verhofstadt, the European parliament’s Brexit chief, said:
I don’t want to interfere in the domestic issues of Spain but I absolutely condemn what happened today in Catalonia.
Scottish first minister Nicola Sturgeon said:
Regardless of views on independence, we should all condemn the scenes being witnessed and call on Spain to change course before someone is seriously hurt.
Britain’s foreign ministry said:
The referendum is a matter for the Spanish government and people. We want to see Spanish law and the Spanish constitution respected and the rule of law upheld.
Belgium prime minister Charles Michel said:
Violence can never be the answer! We condemn all forms of violence and reaffirm our call for political dialogue.
Serbian foreign minister Ivica Dacic said:
Our position is clear and principled, Spain is one of the greatest friends of Serbia.
“[Madrid] is in the same position on the issue of the territorial integrity of Serbia.
French economy minister Bruno Le Maire said:
Spain is a friendly nation, a proud people. Clearly I hope that civil peace will reign in Spain.
Updated
at 9.52pm BST
8.26pm BST
20:26
Here’s more from the press conference that Spanish prime minister Mariano Rajoy held a little earlier, via the AFP news agency.
Rajoy said Sunday that the rule of law had prevailed in Catalonia because an independence referendum in the region prohibited by the courts had been blocked.
“Today there has not been a self-determination referendum in Catalonia. The rule of law remains in force with all its strength,” he said in a televised address.
Security forces “performed their duty” in Catalonia and respected a court order to prevent voting from taking place, he added in his first public comments Sunday on the referendum.
“It would have been easier for everyone to look the other way,” the conservative prime minister said.
The referendum was a “real attack on the rule of law... to which the state reacted with firmness and serenity”.
8.18pm BST
20:18
Socialist leader Pedro Sánchez spoke at a press conference shortly after Mariano Rajoy.
He urged the Spanish prime minister to negotiate with Catalonia and said: “Rest assured that we will overcome this situation. I want to send Catalans and all other Spaniards a message of security.”
CATALONIA: PSOE leader Sánchez, without naming Rajoy, says "doing nothing is the worst way of solving any problem".
Sánchez said his party would guarantee this stability by “betting on peaceful coexistence, not confrontation” and by “opening a political negotiation channel that is more urgent than ever”.
PSOE's @sanchezcastejon says @marianorajoy must "negotiate, negotiate and negotiate" and says Spanish and Catalan leaders have failed so far
