Riot police held back crowds of protesters attempting to vote in the independence poll David Ramos/GettyHundreds of people were injured in Catalonia as riot police clashed with protesters attempting to cast their votes in the banned independence referendum. Police fired rubber bullets and used batons to stop crowds trying to reach polling stations before seizing ballot boxes in the disputed plebiscite. Demonstrators and activists were removed from schools and sports centres hosting the vote as the Spanish authorities stepped up attempts to block the poll. In a day of violent scenes around Barcelona and across the region, Spanish police, the Guardia Civil, were even seen in heated confrontations with the local Catalan force, the Mossos d’Esquadra. Firefighters attempting to form a barrier in front of protesters also appeared to clash with the Spanish forces.

Source: The Times October 01, 2017 10:52 UTC