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At least 91 injured in Catalonia referendum clashes
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People clash with Spanish Guardia Civil guards outside a polling station in Sant Julia de Ramis, where Catalan president was supposed to vote, on Oct. 1, 2017, on the day of a referendum on independence for Catalonia banned by Madrid. (Agence France -Presse/Raymond Roig)
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t least 91 people were injured in Catalonia on Sunday as police and protesters clashed over a banned independence referendum in the wealthy northeastern region of Spain, the Catalan government said.
A total of 337 people visited hospitals and health centres, a spokeswoman for the Catalan government's health department said. So far 91 have been confirmed to be injured, one of them with a serious eye injury, she added.
Spanish riot police fired rubber bullets and forced their way into activist-held polling stations in Catalonia as thousands flooded the streets to vote in an independence referendum banned by Madrid.
At least 91 people were injured in clashes, emergency services said, as police cracked down down on what the Spanish central government has branded a "farce".
"Spanish democracy faces its greatest challenge," headlined top-selling El Pais daily just hours before police moved in en masse to seal off polling stations and seize ballot boxes, sparking scuffles as they sought to block the vote.
More than 5.3 million people have been called upon to have their say on independence from Spain in the wealthy northeastern region which has its own distinct language and culture.
The referendum poses the question: "Do you want Catalonia to become an independent state in the form of a republic?"
But it has been ruled unconstitutional by the central government and the courts, with judicial officials ordering police to seize ballot papers, detain key organisers and shut down websites promoting the vote.
Thousands of Spanish police fanned out across the region on Sunday, forcing their way into polling stations.
