Spain is pulling out all the stops to shut down the Catalonian vote on independence. To save democracy, one presumes.
CATALONIA REFERENDUM LATEST: Madrid pulls out all the stops to block independence vote
SPAIN has launched an all-out assault on the Catalan government with Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, the prosecutor’s office and the judiciary all making moves to block a binding referendum on independence on October 1.
An unprecedented combination of legal action, police deployments and economic sanctions are disrupting the effort to hold the vote which has been declared illegal by Spain’s Constitutional Court.
Police have been sent to hunt down ballot papers and materials related to the referendum, while media organisations have been warned not to broadcast official Catalan campaign advertisements related to the vote. More than a hundred websites related to the referendum have already been shut down by the authorities.
Madrid has also essentially taken over the regional executive’s finances to ensure that “not a single euro” is spent on the ballot. Banks have been ordered not to allow money transfers from Catalan government accounts without Madrid’s consent.
Catalonia’s High Court is investigating the entire Catalan Cabinet led by regional President Carles Puigdemont — as well as five regional lawmakers — on charges of disobedience, prevarication, and misuse of public funds.
Sounds legit. Clearly Madrid has the moral high ground here. After all, the Constitutional Court has spoken!
Remember when the USA went to war so that purple-fingered Iraqis could vote? Why, I’m starting to wonder if the neo-liberal world order is not actually founded on the principles of self-determination and democracy after all!