Good Cop/Bad Cop : Spanish Guardia Civil attack Catalan president's electoral vote centre.

international | rights, freedoms and repression | news report

Sunday October 01, 2017 10:17

by iosaf mac diarmada

A little over a week ago the Spanish state attempted to take control of the Mossos d'Esquadra the Catalan national police force whose men and women have sworn an oath of fealty to Catalonia and answer to the Catalan government "la Generalitat". The Mossos sidestepped all such attempts.
The Spanish ministry of the Interior ordered the Mossos to cordon off with "do not cross police" tape and guards all potential 6000+ electoral centres. A civil rights movement emerged intent on protecting those centres. Friday afternoon parents and teachers as well as children stayed on.at
At 06h23 this morning I went to the school in my area, known to some as the "Forat". A neighbourhood which has a long and sometimes difficult history of confrontation policing (lives lost or ruined), and is considered by some the anarchist heart of the city. I joined the civil rights movement there.

we are pacifists - we resist - good cop

A little over a week ago the Spanish state attempted to take control of the Mossos d'Esquadra the Catalan national police force whose men and women have sworn an oath of fealty to Catalonia and answer to the Catalan government "la Generalitat". The Mossos sidestepped all such attempts.
The Spanish ministry of the Interior ordered the Mossos to cordon off with "do not cross police" tape and guards all potential 6000+ electoral centres. A civil rights movement emerged intent on protecting those centres. Friday afternoon parents and teachers as well as children stayed on.at
At 06h23 this morning I went to the school in my area, known to some as the "Forat". A neighbourhood which has a long and sometimes difficult history of community policiing, and is considered the anarchist heart of the city. c/f "The half a rood of rock" - how we value public space. http://www.indymedia.ie/article/78839 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uIXgIYtS7Iw

At 06h44 several hundred people were standing in the very heavy rain outside the occupied school / electoral centre just one part of the civil rights movement protecting ballot boxes and voting centres which have been declared illegal by Madrid. All children were evacuated from schools last night.
the notice in form of informal verbal advice from Catalan police to every assembly last night was to clear by 05h00.
The order from Madrid ministry of interior was to clear by 06h00.
Madrid ordered Catalan police to clear all centres but Spanish national police as we know are drafted in to do so too....
Catalan police chief instructed his men and women to delay clearing the centres until Monday if the officer on site expected resistance.

at 06h44 A Catalan police officer leading a team of 4 officers informed the crowd that the Spanish ministry of the interior had ordered the end of the civil rights occupation "Shall you resist?" - silence. a voice asked "do you need an umbrella?" (it was pissing rain) silence - "we are pacifists & we resist".

The Catalan police officer noting the potential for resistance made an informed decision to leave the civil rights protest : "Have a good day".......the four police officers walked away.
silence.... laughter.....joy.... cops looked back and smiled from ear to ear.....
they had done their duty to the letter.

I of course had to add my bit in English : "you have all made European history : well done!"..,. laughter and applause. hugs. joy.

someone else shouted in English "remember they called Czechoslovakia the velvet revolution ??? we are making the umbrella revolution!!! "
another hushed "Shhhhh!!!!!" yet another joked "who are you to shush us are you Madrid?"

I cycled off quickly to other voting centres in old city of Barcelona. Told people on site what had happened. nerves calmed. Exactly same formula repeated.

"i must inform you that Spain_____" will you resist?"------ we are pacifists we resist.... "have good day".

IT WAS SO BEAUTIFUL. I ALMOST CRIED.

___________________________________________________________________________________________

The paramilitary Guardia Civil went to the electoral centres where those holding top Catalan political office were/are expected to vote.

At the voting centre used the president of Catalonia, Carles Puigdemont, the Spanish paramilitary force baton charged civil rights groups and broke windows. It is thought by many that they may soon detain Mr Puigdemont it is rumoured under charges of rebellion or treason. His predecessor ex-president Mas had his final fines set in excess of 8 million euros this week for his role in organising the last referendum. & there shall be more referendums. That shall be the type of republic we are building here.

There are several videos of the extraordinary but sadly expected and typical Spanish state violence against pacifist civil rights activists this morning at this page
. https://www.vilaweb.cat/noticies/la-guardia-civil-inten...gent/

Later the mayor of Barcelona, Ada of the alternative leftist anarcho formation shall vote she says "in blank" choosing neither "yes" nor "no". That option 'i always referred to through the years perhaps some readers might remember as the "vote and not -vote" anarcho participative option.