Politics
15:46, 01-Oct-2017
Spanish police seize ballot boxes in Catalan referendum
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Spanish national police began to seize ballot boxes and voting papers from Catalan polling stations, the Interior Ministry said, as some voters began casting ballots in Catalonia's disputed independence referendum on Sunday.
Riot police clashed with voters outside a Barcelona voting station, where dozens of police used riot shields to push people back, Reuters reported citing a witness.
Would-be voters chanted "we are people of peace" and "we are not afraid."
Half a dozen armored police vans and an ambulance stood ready nearby, the witness said.
Elsewhere in the northeastern region, some voting stations opened at 9:00 a.m. (0700 GMT) and people began to cast ballots.
A polling station in the Catalan town of Girona has been cordoned off by riot police as the region's separatist leader was due to vote.
The independence referendum is deemed illegal and banned by Madrid.
Source(s): AFP
,Reuters