Catalonia referendum: How Barcelona and Madrid viewed the vote

As the catalan independence referendum become held on sunday, the temper in spain's  biggest towns could not had been more one of a kind.
In barcelona, humans grew to become out defiantly to vote in a referendum deemed unlawful via the constitutional court and by means of the central government within the capital, madrid.
That is how our teams regarded activities inside the two towns on sunday.
The view from barcelona - piers scholfield


Media captionpolice use batons on a crowd
As prime minister mariano rajoy spoke to the kingdom on sunday night, catalans will be forgiven for wondering he lived in a one-of-a-kind world, not to mention a potentially one-of-a-kind u . S . A .. "we had been an instance for the sector," said the spanish finest.
What form of instance is up for debate.
"they're mad, just crazy," 21-year-antique meritxell ros advised us. She become displaying us the welts and bruises on her father's back after an encounter with spanish insurrection police on the outskirts of barcelona. Countrywide police had arrived in force on the polling station to try to wrest the poll papers and containers from nearby organisers.
In an illustration of people electricity, hundreds braved a hail of rubber bullets, batons and revolt shields to pressure a retreat by the police. It turned into an unforgettable sight on a day full of surprising violence.
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It had began peacefully sufficient. Before dawn in the pouring rain outside a faculty in gracia inside the coronary heart of barcelona, hundreds of catalans amassed quietly below their umbrellas to defend the polling station from the government.
Daniel sanchez instructed us he'd arrived at 01:00. "my grandfather might be proud," he said. He went on to draw a evaluation between the spanish country of today and the franco era. It changed into a commonplace refrain.
At this faculty,  mossos - catalan police officers - duly arrived as the sun rose. Faced with a large however silent crowd barring entry, they took their leave to applause and cheering: "votarem!" they chanted - we will vote.


Media captionpolice were filmed violently tackling voters and appearing to drag a female via her hair
But, earlier than lengthy, social media have been deluged with photographs of spain's guardia civil - underneath orders from madrid - smashing their way into polling stations, dragging humans out alongside the ground.
In girona, a video confirmed ladies being thrown to the floor via their hair. In a barcelona polling station, men and women were hurled down a staircase by way of the police in darkish uniforms.
And ominously, pictures confirmed country wide officials clashing with their regional counterparts: a row of nearby firemen hit with the aid of batons; catalan police pushed aside by using a squadron of guardia civil as they raided a faculty; a catalan policeman in tears.
Image taken in the city of lleida on sunday, shared on tweeted by using boris llonaimage copyrightboris llona thru twitter
Whilst we spoke to former nearby chief artur mas after he cast his vote, he crystallised what many right here are thinking: "everywhere there are peaceful those who are trying to cast their vote - and there is a violent spanish state that is trying to prevent humans from vote casting."
Many catalans did not need this referendum, disputed or no longer. But anger and disbelief at sunday's occasions will only have served to enhance aid for a actual bid for independence.
The view from madrid - james badcock
In which catalonia's leaders see oppression, many people in madrid see the rule of thumb of law and the defence of countrywide solidarity.
As spanish police forcibly eliminated humans and poll packing containers from polling stations throughout catalonia on sunday morning, loads of people gathered in madrid's plaza mayor to wave spain flags and sing "¡viva españa!" in guide of the u . S . A .'s protection forces.
"we ought to protect spain because it's a tremendous nation," said rosa maría gonzález, a retired workplace worker from madrid, as she waved a massive spanish flag among a crowd of up to ten,000 folks that demonstrated in opposition to the referendum outside madrid's city corridor this weekend.
Anti-separatist demonstrators keep spanish flags and shout slogans in the course of a protest in assist of spainimage copyrightgetty pictures
Photo caption
Anti-separatist demonstrators amassed in madrid on sunday morning
A ways from being worried about heavy-handedness, ms gonzález argued that the spanish government had achieved too little to prevent the defiance at the part of catalonia's leaders. "this is no time for 1/2 measures. We ought to carry all of the powers over health, schooling and other services lower back to madrid and leave catalonia without a penny. That they had soon come to heel."
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The motives for the referendum
However jorge capillas, a 32-year-old banker, felt that negotiation between spain and catalonia turned into now inevitable - however not on independence.
"we aren't radicals. We're regular spaniards who need our country to stay united. We adore catalonia; my wife and mother are catalan. However catalonia is not like scotland, a country that joined a union. Catalonia has always been spain."
Talking for a spanish authorities that has never been organized to discuss self-willpower with catalan seasoned-independence leaders, deputy top minister soraya sáenz de santamaría defined the vote as "a farce". Hours later, high minister mariano rajoy said the referendum had now not took place in any respect.
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However others in madrid may additionally grow to be having the very last say amid the fallout from the tried poll over the coming months.
Pedro sánchez, the leader of spain's 2d-biggest birthday party, the socialist psoe, tweeted that sunday was "a sad day for spanish democracy", calling for "calm and communicate". Mr sánchez proposes reforming spain's charter on the lookout for a federalist solution to nationalist demands in catalonia and the basque u . S ..
The left-wing podemos, whose support the psoe could need to cultivate to have any hope of commanding a destiny majority in spain's parliament, favours a felony, binding referendum in catalonia.