BARCELONA (Sputnik) — Catalan police closed 1,300 schools, which were due to become polling stations for the region's independence referendum on Sunday, Spanish government representative in Catalonia Enric Millo said Saturday.
On Friday night, some families came with children to polling stations at schools to prevent police from shutting them down during the referendum.
"A total of 1,300 schools out of 2,315 were closed by police. Among them, only in 163 schools there were people who were doing sports and other entertainment activities. They all have been warned to leave the buildings until 06:00 local time on Sunday [04:00 GMT]," Millo told reporters.
The government representative stressed that Spanish authorities would also block all online resources providing an opportunity to cast a vote.
The Catalan government shared on Saturday instructions through social networks and messengers describing how to occupy schools designated to serve as polling stations for a disputed independence referendum, in order to prevent police from sealing them.
According to the relevant document, the Catalan Generalitat urges local citizens through Twitter and Telegram to gather at 05:00 a.m. local time (03:00 GMT) at the schools' sites. The government welcomes the possibility to spend a night from Saturday to Sunday, organizing leisure activities at the schools' premises, provided that " there are always people ready to peacefully protect them near the site."
Barcelona is a wonderful city. Their people are strong and proud. I hope they are listened to. #Catalonia pic.twitter.com/8uzRoWC99o
— Matt Robinson (@Astro_Matt27) 21 сентября 2017 г.
The instruction also stresses that everyone has to go to the assigned polling stations, as no voting will be organized outside of the authorized sites.
The government also calls for a "peaceful resistance" in case of police presence and urges to stop agitation for "Yes" or "No" on Sunday.
Earlier in the day, Spain's Civil Guard entered Catalonia's Center for Telecommunication and Information Technology (CTTI) to switch off the software, necessary to count electronic votes at the independence referendum.
On Sunday, Catalonia is expected to hold an independence referendum. The Spanish federal government has filed a complaint with the country's Constitutional Court over the Catalan government and parliament approving the law on the independence vote. The court has taken the complaint under review, outlawing the plebiscite.
Opinion polls show that Catalonia’s independence is supported by 41 percent of its residents, with 49 percent against it, and while as much as 80 percent of Catalans are in favor of the referendum, most of them believe that the vote should be agreed upon with the central government in Madrid.
