MADRID, October 1 (RIA Novosti) – Spanish police have dispersed Catalan protesters in Barcelona who intended to set up a tent camp in front of the state administration and Spanish Constitutional Court in support of the region's independence referendum, Spanish news agency EFE reported Wednesday.
According to the news agency, some 100 supporters of the Spanish region's independence were dispersed. Several clashes between law enforcement officials and protesters have taken place, but there have been no reports of injuries sustained by either side.
On Monday, Spain's Constitutional Court suspended Catalonia's decree to hold an independence referendum in November. On Tuesday, the Catalan regional government said they would appeal the Monday decision.
The Catalan National Assembly (ANC) has urged secessionists to take to the streets protesting the court's decision to suspend the referendum. Catalan leader Artur Mas has called for protest campaigns to be suspended for the safety of citizens but noted that the Monday suspension of the referendum did not imply that it was illegal.
On September 27, Mas signed a decree scheduling Catalonia's independence referendum for November 9. On September 29, the Spanish government announced its plans to appeal against the decree before the Constitutional Court.
