More than 800 people are injured after an election in Europe turned violent last weekend. But that didn’t stop the vote from going forward. Catalonia, a region of Spain with its own distinct language and culture, voted overwhelmingly on Sunday to seek independence from Spain. Over 90 percent of the votes were in favor of secession, while less than 8 percent were against. Catalan authorities say that these numbers are incomplete because roughly 770,000 were lost after ballot boxes were seized by Spanish police. Riot police, in an attempt to suppress the voters, used batons and rubber bullets on the crowd. They were also accused of pulling people out of polling places by their hair, and breaking peoples’ hands when they attempted to vote.
Many polling locations hid their ballot boxes from the police so that they would not be seized. When firefighters stepped in to defend the voters, the police clashed with them as well. Spanish officials refuse to recognize the results of the vote, saying that the referendum itself is unconstitutional and should never have legally happened. Those opposed to Catalan independence have also said that the voting system was faulty, with people being allowed to vote multiple times. Either way, it is likely that the results of the vote will be challenged by the Spanish constitutional court.
Olivia Wall - That is awful that the votes were tampered with, but hopefully the people of Catalan can eventually gain independence.
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