IndyMedia - Vrij Media Centrum Nederland

Wanneer: 01/10/2017 - 16:24

1am Sunday 1st of October, a small news-flash from an anarchist comrade living in Spain:

Starting Friday and especially Saturday, tens of thousands of people occupied the schools and civic centers where the voting is scheduled to take place, frustrating police plans to keep those places closed-- now they'll have to evict them. They've organized a day's worth of activities, sort of temporary social centers, to keep the places running.

Currently, no real count but I'd say hundreds of thousands mobilized throughout Catalunya. There have also been decent-sized mobilizations in much of the rest of the Spanish state in solidarity with the referendum, given the heavy-handed epression. However, it seems like no one is taking advantage of the fact that all the riot police (literally, major cities like Madrid currently don't have any on hand) are in Catalunya, except the fascists. Big fascist demonstrations in Zaragoza, València, Mallorca, Barcelona, waving Spanish flags and chanting "Franco! Franco!" or "Mas to the gas chambers!" (Mas being the former president of Catalunya). Tonight there's been at least one fascist attack against someone participating in a voting center occupation.

A big farmers' demonstration on Friday, and now farmers have blocked off the entrances to many villages with tractors, so the military or cops can't get in. Regular people have been postering and spraypainting in broad daylight. It's really weird when a whole society starts using tactics that usually only we use, and fucking disconcerting when it's in favor of a vote.

Some anarchists, sadly, have been using the justification, "We've already said that if voting changed anything, it would be illegal, and this time, it's illegal." I think a more effective strategy is along the lines of: "self-determination every day, and in every aspect of life," because at this point, if you're not meeting people on the level of euphoria and "everything is possible," they're not going to hear you.

Also, a lot of what's going on reflects the role self-organization has in Catalan popular culture, which is a tradition anarchists here have Talways had a reciprocal relationship with.

Other stuff:
- The Spanish state has threatened to punish parents and schools if children go to protests, getting Child Services involved.
It made Catalan airspace off-limits to prevent aerial photography of the mobilizations.
- It seized an electronics center of the Generalitat in order to block
electronic voting and vote-counting. Have made preparations for turning off the internet in Catalunya.
It started blocking Telegram accounts.
- The EU is finally mobilizing to pressure Catalan and Spanish presidents to negotiating table on Monday.
Increasingly large groups of Guardia Civil have started deploying from the port.
- A huge crowd blocked a group of riot cops from getting to a voting center, cops didn't take out their clubs.
More reports of fascists going to voting centers in the last ten minutes.
- Taking advantage of the shortage of police, 86 people overcame the guards in an immigrant detention center in Madrid tonight and had the chance to fee, 47 managed to avoid immediate recapture and are still on the run.