Thousands of angry Catalans have protested outside their region’s government offices in Barcelona after Spanish police had earlier raided the building and arrested several officials and a junior minister.<br /><br />Central government in Madrid in trying to stop Catalonia from holding a banned independence referendum by confiscating voting materials.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Are they becoming the first political prisoners since the time of…. Franco?! https://t.co/L9KLA0Atdt— Pablo Rodas-Martini (@pablorodas) September 20, 2017<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy later went on national television to urge Catalans to abandon the October 1st poll saying it was illegal and causing divisions nationwide.<br /><br />“Disobedience to the law by a public power is the opposite of democracy. Now is an impossible chimera or an excuse to delve even more in the fracture they have caused in Catalan society “<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Pido a los responsables de la Generalitat que abandonen la desobediencia, están ante una quimera. Regresen a la ley y a la democracia pic.twitter.com/I7FvjuSLZ0— Mariano Rajoy Brey (@marianorajoy) September 20, 2017<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Police raids on printers, newspaper offices and delivery companies have caused resentment outside Catalonia. In Madrid some see the Catalan issue as a fight for democratic rights which drove hundreds out onto the streets of the capital in support.<br /><br />“We see this as a solidarity demonstration with Catalonia because we understand that the referendum is not only a Catalan problem, is a problem for the whole country,” said demonstrator Angel Mendez.<br /><br />For Lara Hijon it was a case of needing to up hold the people’s will: “Above all it’s the right to decide by direct democracy, and that is a referendum.” <br /><br />But others disagree. Spain’s Constitutional Court suspended the vote after a government legal challenge claiming it contravenes the 1978 constitution which says Spain is indivisible.<br />
