Barcelona braced for more unrest on Thursday, following overnight clashes between Catalan separatists and Spanish police.<br /><br />Tensions are running high as the central government steps up its efforts to stop an independence referendum scheduled for October 1.<br /><br />Mass demonstrations on Wednesday ended with police charging against protesters.<br /><br />Tens of thousands of people had gathered outside the regional government’s offices after Spanish police raided the building and arrested more than a dozen local officials, including Catalonia’s junior economy minister<br />Josep Maria Jove.<br /><br />Waving the red-and-yellow Catalan flag, they chanted “Occupying forces out” and “Where is Europe?”.<br /><br />Spanish authorities say the Catalan referendum is illegal, and they have been trying to stop it by seizing voting material — from ballot boxes to campaign literature and instruction manuals for manning voting stations.<br /><br />Separatist leader Jordi Sanchez told protesters to prepare for a sustained insurrection. <br /><br />His Catalan National Assembly has called for a permanent demonstration from noon Thursday.<br /><br />Ha arribat el moment. Resistim pacíficament. Sortim a defensar des de la no-violència les nostres institucions. Rbla. Catalunya-Gran Via.— Jordi Sànchez (@jordisanchezp) September 20, 2017<br /><br />The FC Barcelona soccer club said in a statement: “FC Barcelona, in remaining faithful to its historic commitment to the defense of the nation, to democracy, to freedom of speech, and to self-determination, condemns any act that may impede the free exercise of these rights.”<br /><br />pic.twitter.com/j8hNbQb94a— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) September 20, 2017<br />
