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| Spanish govt official in Catalonia apologizes for independence vote violence | Spanish govt official in Catalonia apologizes for independence vote violence |
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| A Madrid representative in Catalonia has for the first time apologized for the police violence during the recent independence vote in the Spanish region. | |
| "When I see these images, and more so when I know people have been hit, pushed and even one person who hospitalised, I can't help but regret it and apologise on behalf of the officers that intervened," Spanish government's official representative in Catalonia, Enric Millo, said in a television interview as quoted by Reuters. | "When I see these images, and more so when I know people have been hit, pushed and even one person who hospitalised, I can't help but regret it and apologise on behalf of the officers that intervened," Spanish government's official representative in Catalonia, Enric Millo, said in a television interview as quoted by Reuters. |
| It marks the first time a Spanish official has acknowledged and apologized for the violence which took place on Sunday, where riot police were deployed to Catalonia in an attempt to break up the independence vote. Close to 900 people were injured as police used batons and rubber bullets against those trying to cast their ballots. | |
| However, Millo also placed the blame on the Catalan president, Carles Puigdemont, for encouraging people to go out and vote when both the government and the constitutional court considered the independence referendum illegal. | |
| Previously, the federal government justified the actions of the police, saying they “complied with the orders of justice” and “acted with professionalism and in a proportionate way.” | |
| The officers used force to drag people out of makeshift voting booths and seize ballot boxes, leading to confrontations and standoffs with crowds of pro-independence demonstrators. In several instances, local firefighters formed human shields to try and shield people from the riot police, but were themselves beaten. | |
| The shocking scenes quickly spread on social media, provoking outcry and condemnation across Catalonia and the rest of the world. | |
| The EU, however, was seemingly slow to react to the violence. On Wednesday, European Commission First Vice President Frans Timmermans appeared to justify the actions of the Spanish police, saying governments have a duty to “uphold the rule of law” which sometimes “requires proportionate use of force.” | |
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