Criminalisation of Catalan independent movement continues

The Spanish police and justice insist on introducing the component of violence in the sovereign process of Catalonia.

A few days before the anniversary of the celebration in Catalonia for the 1 October referendum for its independence, and with the not coincidentally expected ruling against the Catalan political leaders, accused of "rebellion", the Spanish police and judiciary are still committed to provide "evidence" of violence and terrorism in the Catalan sovereignty process. 

A process which has developed at all times in a peaceful manner and with massive social mobilizations.

A large police operation, with the participation of more than 500 agents and specialists from the TEDAX (special explosives unit), arrested 9 people in several Catalan locations, close to the CRD, Defense Committees of the Republic, a grassroots social organization. They are accused of preparing terrorist actions. The raid was authorized by the judge of the National Court, (a special court), Manuel García Castellón. 

According to official sources, the raid is the result of a year of follow-up, phone tapping and intelligence work, and the decision to proceed to the arrests was taken because of the "certainty" that terrorist actions were to be carried out soon.

Two of the detainees were released, under judicial control, while the other seven people arrested were taken to Madrid and formally charged with "rebellion, terrorism and possession of explosives."

Police sources said that in the search of a local, in the city of Sabadell, they seized "precursors" of explosives, commonly used materials that potentially serves as a basis for the manufacture of explosives, in this case termite, iron powder and nitrate of aluminum.

Many local people, who regularly used the registered premises, have said publically that material related to the city's festival is usually stored that. The festival ended on September 9, and the “precursors” seized are leftovers from the pyrotechnic material used in the past celebrations. 

The security forces also included among the seized evidence a ballot box, similar to those used in the sovereignist referendum of 1 October 2017.

There has been a huge popular response to the arrests: thousands have taken to the streets denuncing this latest police operation as a framing operation and reclaming freedom for the detained people.