Spanish media report that several hundred students have spent the night inside a Barcelona university to protest the government's efforts to stop a referendum over Catalonia's secession from the country. The protesters have said on social media that pro-independence politicians are expected to give talks at Barcelona University on Saturday. Jordi Vives, a spokesman for the students, told Catalan public television: "We are showing that as students we have a part to play and that for now we are staying put." The remaining students were hold-outs from a group of about 2,000 that gathered in and around the university Friday. Several hundred occupied a central cloister near the offices of the dean and other university managers.

Source: ABC News September 23, 2017 11:15 UTC