The strike called in Catalonia by more than 40 trade unions and associations to protest against the Madrid government’s forcible supression of the independence referendum has won scanty early support. <br /><br />There were noisy protests outside the regional headquarters of the governing Popular Party involving firefighters and port workers, but many services appeared to be running nearly normally.<br /><br />The metro in Barcelona was only offering a partial service, 25%, at peak hours, with nothing in between.<br /><br />Several of the region’s football clubs including Barcelona have said they are joining the strike.<br /><br />More than 800 people were injured on Sunday as Spanish police broke up voting at some polling stations, and there are allegations of police brutality. <br /><br />Regional authorities and political parties are studying a possible declaration of independence after claiming 92% of voters supported the breakaway.<br />
