Police Deadline for Evacuating Occupied Schools in Catalonia

As supporters of a referendum for Catalonia's independence from Spain occupy schools to ensure the vote takes place on Sunday, police have set a deadline for parents and students to evacuate the schools. According to a report by the Associated Press on Saturday (October 8), several parents and students supporting independence said police have asked them to leave the schools by 6 AM on Sunday. They intended to use the occupied schools as polling stations on Sunday. Following the Spanish Constitutional Court's opposition to the referendum, police forces have received orders to prevent the vote from taking place. Nevertheless, the Catalan local government insists on holding the referendum and has urged citizens in the region to participate in the voting. The French news agency also reported that the court has instructed police to prevent the use of public spaces as voting locations. The issue of the wealthy northeastern region of Catalonia's independence from Spain has been one of the biggest crises Madrid has faced since the establishment of democracy and Franco's death in 1975. According to the report, parents and students peacefully occupied the schools after classes ended on Friday. One of them told the French news agency that they plan to spend the night at the school with their child, who is a student there. The school occupations are part of a campaign called 'Open Schools for the Referendum,' which spontaneously emerged in school networks to ensure there is a place to cast votes on Sunday. Reports also indicate a gathering of 10,000 supporters of Catalonia's independence in Spain Square. Carles Puigdemont, the separatist leader, told the crowd that the people of the region feel their dream is coming true. About 2,000 opponents of independence also held a separate rally, waving flags of Spain, the European Union, and the local Catalan flag. Catalonia is an autonomous region in northeastern Spain, centered around the city of Barcelona, with a population of 7.5 million, and its residents enjoy relative prosperity compared to other parts of Spain. The Spanish Prime Minister has called the independence referendum 'illegal,' and the country's Constitutional Court has ruled to postpone it until its legality is determined. While the Catalan regional government insists that the independence referendum will take place on October 1, the Spanish government has increased its efforts to prevent the vote since last week, including some arrests and the collection of ballot boxes. Raul Romeva, the foreign affairs official of the autonomous region of Catalonia, has asked the European Union to 'fulfill its duty as a guardian of democratic values' and to urge Spain to allow the Catalonia referendum. The European Commission has previously stated that it respects the legal process regarding the referendum issue in Catalonia in accordance with the Spanish Constitution.