Courtesy of Mish
Bloomberg reports Spain Hires Cruise Liner to House Police in Rebel Catalonia.
Catalonia president Carles Puigdemont responded that the Spanish government actions are ‘beyond the limits of a respectable democracy’ but vote will go ahead. Will it?
Spain has discreetly hired ferries to be moored in the Port of Barcelona as temporary housing for possibly thousands of police specially deployed to keep order in rebel Catalonia and help suppress an illegal independence referendum.
The aim is to amass more than 16,000 riot police and other security officers by the Oct. 1 referendum, El Correo newspaper reported on its website. That would exceed the number of Catalan police, the Mossos d’Esquadra, who serve both the Catalan and central governments.
Three Boats for Additional Police Arrive in Catalonia
Catalan News reports Three Boats for Additional Police Arrive in Catalonia
Three cruise-size boats have docked in Barcelona and Tarragona, commissioned by the Spanish government, there to accommodate more police reinforcements.
The three ships arrived this morning. The first, located at the Lepant Dock in Barcelona, is called Rhapsody with capacity of more than 2,000 people. The second, called GNV Azzurro, is currently in the Tarragona Andalusia Dock, has space for 800 people. The third, which arrived last and is now stationed at the Barcelona Prince of Spain Dock, is Italian like the two other vessels and is named Moby Dada. The latter has capacity for 1,000 passengers.
Vote Undermined?
The economy minister of the Catalan regional government stated the Crackdown has Undermined the Catalan Independence Bid.
“It is obvious that we won’t be able to vote as we would have liked,” Oriol Junqueras, deputy head and economy minister of the regional government, told local television TV3. “They have altered the rules.”
It was the first time the promoters of the referendum had acknowledged their plans were in doubt, although Junqueras said he was convinced voters would still turn out in numbers.
Violation of Basic Rights
Is there a difference between conducting a vote as they would have liked vs conducting a vote at all?
As of this morning, the Catalan president said the vote would take place. “The aggressive tactics of Mariano Rajoy’s government have caused this crisis. All Catalan citizens want is to peacefully exercise our democratic right,” said Carles Puigdemont, president of Catalonia.