Spanish police continue to step up raids across Catalonia, carrying out operations against multiple government offices across the region and arresting several officials who they accuse of being involved in the plot to hold a banned referendum on secession on October 1.
At least 12 Catalan officials, including the Junior Economic Minister, were captured in the course of the raids. Spanish officials are providing no indication what anyone’s being charged with, though the arrests were in conjunction with raids.
Spain has been desperately trying to find ballot boxes and papers to seize before the referendum, anything that might prevent it from taking place. They’ve also attempted to take over several regional government agencies.
Despite ever-escalating raids and searches hitting seemingly everyplace across Catalonia, there is little indication the raids have done much to undermine the referendum. At this point, it seems very likely that the vote will happen, and the only impact of the raids will be informing the voters as they go to the polling places.