October 01, 2017
Catalan referendum: muted response from EU leaders over police crackdown - The Guardian

Despite calls from Catalan authorities to condemn the brutal police crackdown on their independence referendum, the EU and most member states were reluctant to respond formally, seemingly viewing the dispute as an internal Spanish matter.
Hundreds injured as riot police storm Catalan referendum polling stations
Belgium’s prime minister, Charles Michel, was among the few national leaders to denounce the violence, which the Catalan government said had left 465 people injured as police forcibly removed voters from polling stations and on one occasion fired rubber bullets.
“Violence can never be the answer!” Michel said on Twitter. His Slovenian counterpart, Miro Cerar, also expressed his concern, saying he was “concerned” and calling for “political dialogue, rule of law and peaceful solutions”.
Former Belgian prime minister and senior MEP Guy Verhofstadt also said that while he did “not want to interfere” in Spain’s domestic affairs, “I absolutely condemn what happened today in Catalonia”. It was “high time for de-escalation,” he said.
In Britain, the prime minister, Theresa May, faced mounting calls to speak out against the scenes of police brutality in Catalonia after Labour, the SNP and the Liberal Democrats all criticised the Spanish government.
Human right groups also condemned the violence. Human Rights Watch said the state “has a duty to protect the rights to peaceful assembly and free expression” both of those opposed to independence and those who supported it.

Labour’s Jeremy Corbyn said the police violence against citizens was “shocking” and called on the Spanish government to “act to end it now”. Vince Cable, the Lib Dem leader, branded the police response “brutal and completely disproportionate”.
Nicola Sturgeon, the Scottish National party leader, also said she was concerned and that people “should be allowed to vote peacefully”. The vote is of particular interest in Scotland, which in 2014 voted in its own heated but largely peaceful independence referendum to remain in the the UK.
“Regardless of views on independence, we should all condemn the scenes being witnessed and call on Spain to change course before someone is seriously hurt,” Sturgeon said on Twitter.
A Foreign Office spokeswoman said: “The referendum is a matter for the Spanish government and people. We want to see Spanish law and the Spanish constitution respected and the rule of law upheld.”
Raül Romeva, Catalonia’s foreign minister, said on Sunday the pro-independence regional government had informed the EU of a “violation of fundamental rights that puts the very EU at risk”.
The bloc did not immediately respond to his demand that it “condemn the violence European citizens are suffering”. The referendum, which has been ruled illegal by Spain’s constitutional court, places the EU in a difficult position.
Romeva insisted last month that Brussels could no longer argue the vote was a domestic issue, but must “defend the Treaty of the European Union and stand for the general interest of Catalan citizens as the EU citizens that they are”.
Barcelona’s mayor, Ada Colau, who opposes independence but supports the right of Catalans to vote on the question, also called in an article in the Guardian for the EU to “defend the fundamental rights of Catalan citizens”.
But Jean-Claude Juncker, the European commission president, has said that Brussels must abide by the decisions of the Spanish government and of Spain’s constitutional court.

The commission has said on several occasions that a vote in favour of Catalan independence would be recognised but only if the referendum that produced it complied with the Spanish constitution and had been ruled legal.
Emily Thornberry, the shadow foreign secretary, said Labour believed debates on sovereignty “should be resolved in accordance with rules and laws” and any referendum “needs to be both democratic and fair”.
But it was “unacceptable for the Spanish authorities to overreact ... through aggressive police action and the forcible closure of polling stations,” Thornberry said. “All sides must strive to come together and reach a political solution to this constitutional crisis.”
Video footage showed police hitting people in the crowd with batons while voters peacefully held up their hands, officers dragging women voters from polling stations by their hair, and Spanish police attacking Catalan firefighters.

Latest News
Top news around the world
Academy Awards

‘Oppenheimer’ Reigns at Oscars With Seven Wins, Including Best Picture and Director

Get the latest news about the 2024 Oscars, including nominations, winners, predictions and red carpet fashion at 96th Academy Awards

Around the World

Celebrity News

> Latest News in Media

Watch It
Ruby Franke’s Husband REVEALS Alleged Rules He Had to Follow at Home | E! News
March 28, 2024
_mU-3lE2QwI
#KenanThompson speaks out following the #QuietonSet documentary. (🎥: Tamron Hall Show) #shorts
March 28, 2024
8AGP-Gfw_Ek
King Charles Shares "Great Sadness" at Missing Royal Appearance | E! News
March 28, 2024
lyizFqf1kQY
Martha Reeves Walk of Fame Ceremony
March 27, 2024
QzyezumEPtQ
Eminem, 50 Cent & Snoop Dogg Present Dr. Dre with a Star on the Walk of Fame
March 19, 2024
4bNLs1hxVp8
Opening Remarks for the Variety Summit October 20th, 2023 Jay Penske
March 18, 2024
c6Z707iLq8E
Montell Jordan Dishes On Young MC Wedding, 'This Is How Date Night' Plans | TMZ
March 28, 2024
G3SMExj-qio
Davina Potratz Says TV Not Helping 'Selling Sunset' Relationship Woes | TMZ
March 28, 2024
D4piy4GNm4k
Logan Paul Rips Graham Bensinger Over Documentary, You Promised Apple TV+ | TMZ Live
March 28, 2024
NiSDpZhZklQ
Prince William pinned royal medal to Spice Girl Mel B’s boobs #shorts
March 28, 2024
O1cQ0UW9pco
Jennifer Garner shares ‘hard’ part of raising her and Ben Affleck’s kids
March 28, 2024
3Q7mZaVUdgc
50 Cent's ex Daphne Joy named as an alleged sex worker in Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs lawsuit #shorts
March 28, 2024
yhLFI8DG9rM
TV Schedule
Late Night Show
Watch the latest shows of U.S. top comedians

Sports

Latest sport results, news, videos, interviews and comments
Latest Events
28
Mar
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: Playoffs - Women
PSG W - Hacken W
28
Mar
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: Playoffs - Women
Barcelona W - SK Brann W
27
Mar
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: Playoffs - Women
Chelsea W - Ajax W
27
Mar
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: Playoffs - Women
Lyon W - SL Benfica W
17
Mar
SPAIN: La Liga
Atletico Madrid - Barcelona
17
Mar
ENGLAND: FA Cup
Manchester United - Liverpool
17
Mar
ITALY: Serie A
Inter Milan - Napoli
17
Mar
GERMANY: Bundesliga
Borussia Dortmund - Eintracht Frankfurt
17
Mar
ENGLAND: FA Cup
Chelsea - Leicester City
17
Mar
ITALY: Serie A
Roma - Sassuolo
17
Mar
ITALY: Serie A
Verona - AC Milan
17
Mar
ITALY: Serie A
Juventus - Genoa
16
Mar
GERMANY: Bundesliga
Darmstadt - Bayern Munich
16
Mar
ENGLAND: FA Cup
Manchester City - Newcastle United
16
Mar
ENGLAND: Premier League
Fulham - Tottenham Hotspur
16
Mar
SPAIN: La Liga
Osasuna - Real Madrid
13
Mar
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: 1/8 Final
Atletico Madrid - Inter Milan
12
Mar
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: 1/8 Final
Barcelona - Napoli
12
Mar
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: 1/8 Final
Arsenal - Porto
Find us on Instagram
at @feedimo to stay up to date with the latest.
Featured Video You Might Like
zWJ3MxW_HWA L1eLanNeZKg i1XRgbyUtOo -g9Qziqbif8 0vmRhiLHE2U JFCZUoa6MYE UfN5PCF5EUo 2PV55f3-UAg W3y9zuI_F64 -7qCxIccihU pQ9gcOoH9R8 g5MRDEXRk4k
Copyright © 2020 Feedimo. All Rights Reserved.