Madrid dismissed the Catalan government, took over the administration and called a new election after the region’s parliament declared independence on Friday. There have been doubts over how the Mossos d‘Esquadra, as the Catalan police are called, would respond if ordered to evict sacked leader Carles Puigdemont and his government. In an effort to defuse tensions, the regional police force urged its members to behave in a neutral manner and not to take sides, an internal note seen on Saturday by Reuters showed. Trapero became a hero to the secessionists after his force took a much softer stance than national police in enforcing a government ban on an independence referendum on Oct. 1. Prosecutors say he failed to give orders to rescue national police trapped inside a Barcelona building during pro-independence protests last month.

Source: bd News24 October 28, 2017 09:11 UTC