Jeremy Corbyn calls on Spanish government to end 'shocking' Catalonia violence

Jeremy Corbyn has urged the Spanish authorities to end the police violence taking place in Catalonia as they attempt to stop citizens from voting in today’s independence referendum.



Police officers are preventing people from voting, and seizing ballot papers and boxes at polling stations, in a bid to bring an end to the vote declared illegal by the country's constitutional court.

Reports suggest batons and rubber bullets have been used to suppress protests in the region’s largest city of Barcelona, with Catalan officials claiming more than 300 people have been injured so far.

The Labour leader today tweeted, calling on the Spanish government to end the use of force by the police.

Police violence against citizens in #Catalonia is shocking. The Spanish government must act to end it now. — Jeremy Corbyn (@jeremycorbyn) October 1, 2017

Elsewhere, Nicola Sturgeon said she was “concerned” by the images of rioting and injuries on the region’s streets, adding that condemnation should go beyond a person’s stance on the constitution.

2/2 and call on Spain to change course before someone is seriously hurt. Let people vote peacefully. — Nicola Sturgeon (@NicolaSturgeon) October 1, 2017

The Scottish First Minister previously backed Catalonia's move to hold a vote on breaking away from Spain, telling MSPs: “It is of course entirely legitimate for Spain to oppose independence for Catalonia but what I think is of concern anywhere is for a state to seek to deny the right of a people to democratically express their will."

Leader of the Scottish Conservatives Ruth Davidson also called for restraint, telling a fringe event at the UK party’s Manchester conference: “We need to have restraint and we also need to assure that any resolution to the Catalan situation is resolved by dialogue and not by the sort of scenes we’re seeing today.

“We have seen the sort of reaction from authorities that I think any international observer would call for further restraint."