Catalonia: Spanish police on Wednesday seized "close to 10 million ballot papers" in Catalonia due to be used for an independence referendum banned by Madrid, the interior ministry said.

A source close to the case who requested anonymity added that the ballots were confiscated in Bigues, about 45 kilometres north of Barcelona.

The seizure comes as thousands took to the streets in Barcelona on Wednesday over the detention of 13 Catalan government officials as the wealthy northeastern region presses ahead with preparations for the October 1 vote.

Catalonia`s separatist leaders want the region`s 7.5 million inhabitants — who are deeply divided over the issue — to be able to answer the question: "Do you want Catalonia to be an independent state in the form of a republic?"

But the country`s Constitutional Court has deemed such a referendum unconstitutional.

The constitution states that the unity of the Spanish nation is "unbreakable" and that only the central government has the power to call a referendum on an issue.

Catalan separatists have retorted that they have a democratic right to decide on their future.

Operations were also underway Wednesday at several offices of the Catalan executive, including the presidency and the departments of economic and foreign affairs.

Over the past few days, police have ramped up their seizure of items that could be used in the referendum, including notifications waiting to be sent to Catalans selected to staff polling stations.

Madrid has also threatened to arrest mayors who facilitate the vote and has tightened its control over the region`s finances.

Separatist parties captured 47.6 percent of the vote in a September 2015 Catalan election which was billed as a proxy vote on independence, giving them a narrow majority of 72 seats in the 135-seat Catalan parliament.

But opinion polls show that Catalonia remains divided on the question of seceding from Spain.

A survey commissioned by the regional government in July showed that 49.4 per cent of Catalans were against independence while 41.1 per cent were in favour.</s>Spain is in crisis tonight as demands for a vote on Catalan independence threatened to tear the country apart.

At least 40,000 people have gathered in Barcelona, while thousands more are demonstrating in cities and towns throughout the region.

Many are waving Catalunya's red and yellow flag and chanting "Occupying forces out" and "Where is Europe?"

The mass protests were sparked when Spain's military police, the Guardia Civil, raided Catalan government offices on Wednesday and arrested at least a dozen officials.

Catalunya is due to hold a referendum on independence on October 1, which the Spanish government has declared illegal.

Madrid has sent in extra troops and promised an extra 4,000 are waiting to be deployed.

Pictures and video circulating on social media claimed to show tanks being sent to the region, although they could not be verified.

In a dramatic television address, Catalan President Carles Puigdemont said: "The Spanish state has by all rights intervened in Catalonia's government and has established emergency rule.

"We condemn and reject the anti-democratic and totalitarian actions of the Spanish state."

Puigdemont accused the Spanish state of having "de facto" suspended Catalunya's right to self-government with an act of "democratic embarrassment".

Wikileaks founder Julian tweeted images of the mass protests and claimed: "Spain lost Catalonia tonight."

Police confirmed they were carrying out raids connected with the banned referendum, but did not give details.

In several Barcelona districts, people banged on balconies railings and dumpsters while passing cars hooted noisily.

Among the protesters outside the government office in Barcelona, was Carlos, a 47-year-old taxi driver.

"We're here so they know they can't do whatever they want," he said, as protesters bore banners reading "Democracy" and

Barcelona football club said in a statement: "FC Barcelona, in remaining faithful to its historic commitment to the defense of the nation, to democracy, to freedom of speech, and to self-determination, condemns any act that may impede the free exercise of these rights."

Police efforts to stop the referendum have intensified in recent days as the wealthy northeastern region shows no signs of halting it.

Acting under court orders, police have raided printers, newspaper offices and private delivery companies in a search for campaign literature, instruction manuals for manning voting stations and ballot boxes.

The Civil Guard seized 10 million ballot papers, polling station displays as well as documents and forms to run the vote, including a list of voters under the headline "2017 Catalonia self-determination referendum".

It had on Tuesday seized more than 45,000 envelopes packed in cardboard boxes that the Catalan government was ready to send to notify people about the referendum, while the first of hundreds of Catalan mayors appeared before the state prosecutor after they said they would back the referendum.

Spain's finance ministry has taken over the region's finances to prevent the use of public money to organise the vote.

But the central government must tread a fine line in enforcing the law in the region without seeming heavy-handed.

Polls show a minority of Catalans, albeit more than 40 percent, support independence although a majority want a referendum on the issue.

Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said on Wednesday the operations in Catalonia were the result of legal rulings and were to ensure the rule of law.

He later called on Catalan leaders to cancel the vote.

"Don't go ahead, you don't have any legitimacy to do it.

"Go back to the law and democracy (...) This referendum is a chimera," he said in a televised speech.

Any action that broke the law would be met with a proportionate response, he added.

The Constitutional Court has suspended the vote after the central government challenged its legality.

Spain's central government says the referendum goes against the 1978 constitution which states Spain is indivisible.

Under Article 155 of the constitution, Madrid has the power to suspend the regional government's authority to rule.</s>MADRID (Reuters) - Spain’s Constitutional Court on Tuesday suspended a watered-down vote on independence in Catalonia scheduled for Sunday, a move certain to stoke frustration among Catalans, most of whom favor a referendum.

Spain’s government had asked the court to block the “consultation of citizens” called by Catalonia’s regional government on grounds it was a way to get around the court’s September suspension of a non-binding referendum on secession.

That referendum, which would carry more legal weight, was originally scheduled for Sunday but the court suspended it at the end of September to consider its legality, a process that could take months.

“The court has...suspended the acts of the Catalan government connected to the calling of a citizens process on Nov. 9,” it said in a statement.

Independence supporters in Catalonia, a wealthy region of 7.5 million people with its own language, have had their calls for a vote boosted by the Scottish referendum held in September.

But unlike the British government, Spain’s central government has not authorized a vote. Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy has said such a referendum would be against the country’s 1978 constitution and the region already has substantial powers, including its own parliament, police force and education system.

The Catalan government said it would push ahead with the citizens consultation.

“Everything is ready for Nov.9,” said government spokesman Francesc Homs.

The Catalan government said 929,040 people had visited its webpage on the vote and the Barcelona-based government would sue the Spanish government over attacking citizens’ right to freedom of expression.

It was not clear whether the Spanish government will order arrests or other legal action against Catalans who organize unofficial ballots on Sunday.

Some people expect the Catalan government to withdraw from the organization of Sunday’s ballots, leaving it to citizens’ groups campaigning for a break from Spain.

“We think that a handover (to citizens’ groups) should take place,” said Maurici Lucena, spokesman in the Catalan parliament for the Socialists, who are against independence but favor a legal referendum.

Tens of thousands of people are expected to turn out on Sunday to hold demonstrations in favor of independence.

Catalonia’s President Artur Mas has said local elections due in November 2016 could be brought forward and turned into a proxy plebiscite on the region breaking away from Spain.

For that to happen, all the pro-independence parties will need to stand together on the one issue.</s>Spanish police entered offices of the Catalan regions economy, interior, foreign affairs, welfare, telecommunications and tax departments, on 20 September and arrested Catalonias junior economy minister. The arrest sparked thousands of pro-independence voters to gather outside Catalan regions economy ministry building.</s>(MADRID) — Spanish police arrested at least 12 people Wednesday in raids on Catalan government offices, news reports said, as national authorities intensified a crackdown on the region's preparations for a secession vote that Spain says is illegal.

It was the first time Spanish authorities have detained Catalan officials since the campaign to hold a vote on Catalonia's independence began to gather momentum in 2011.

The move was the latest spike in tension in the standoff between national authorities based in Madrid and pro-independence Catalans over a planned Oct. 1 referendum. Several thousand Catalans gathered to angrily protest the raids outside government offices in the region's capital, Barcelona.

Some demonstrators sat down in the street to block police cars, while others scuffled with officers. Protests also occurred in other Catalan towns. There were no reports of arrests or injuries.

Catalonia's president, Carles Puigdemont, blasted the police operations as "unlawful" and accused the national government of adopting a "totalitarian attitude."

Police acting on a judge's orders searched 42 premises, including six regional government offices, officials' private offices and homes, as well as three companies in Barcelona, the city's superior court said in a statement. It said some 20 people are under investigation for alleged disobedience, abuse of power and embezzlement related to the referendum.

Police and judicial authorities declined to give further details of the operation, which aimed to halt preparations for the vote, saying a judge has placed a secrecy order on it.

Police confiscated nearly 10 million ballot papers, the Interior Ministry said. Polling station signs and documents for electoral officers were also seized during a raid on a warehouse in a small town outside Barcelona.

The Catalan regional government confirmed Josep Maria Jove, secretary general of economic affairs, and Lluis Salvado, secretary of taxation, were among those arrested. Jove is No. 2 to the region's vice president and economy chief, Oriol Junqueras.

Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said his conservative government is determined to prevent the ballot. He said the Catalan government is going against the Spanish Constitution by holding the vote and that "logically, the state has to act."

"No democratic state in the world would accept what these people are proposing," Rajoy said. His stance has the backing of most Spanish opposition parties.

The Constitutional Court has ordered the vote to be suspended as it assesses its legality, but Catalan officials say they will press ahead regardless.

"Today the government of Rajoy has crossed a very dangerous red line," said Jordi Sanchez, president of Catalan National Assembly, a civic group leading the independence drive. "We will do all we can for democracy and freedom to prevail."

The Barcelona soccer team, which is popular around the world, waded into the controversy too. It said it "condemns any act that may impede the free exercise of (democratic) rights" and vowed to "continue to support the will of the majority of Catalan people, and will do so in a civil, peaceful, and exemplary way."

The arrests risked stoking public anger in Catalonia, where pro-independence passions can run high. At the demonstration outside the Catalan regional ministry of economy, protester Charo Rovira said she felt sad at the turn of events.

"Catalonia is practically in a state of siege," she said. She added that the arrested politicians were merely acting according to the will of the people.

Spain's Interior Ministry canceled time off and scheduled leave for Civil Guard and National Police officers who are being deployed to ensure the ballot doesn't happen. It gave no details on the number of agents involved.

In another tightening of the screw, Spain's Finance Ministry said it has imposed further controls over the Catalan government's finances to ensure no public money is used for the referendum. Finance Minister Cristobal Montoro signed an order late Tuesday that limits new credit and requires central authorities' supervision for every payment of non-essential services in Catalonia, the ministry said.

The measure means that virtually all the Catalan public spending will be in the hands of Madrid. The Finance Ministry took over the direct payment of basic services such as education, health and civil servants' salaries last week.

Puigdemont claimed the central government has effectively ended Catalonia's self-rule. The region, like others in Spain, has broad self-governing powers.

Catalonia represents a fifth of Spain's 1.1-trillion-euro ($1.32 trillion) economy. The region's 7.5 million inhabitants overwhelmingly favor a referendum but are roughly evenly divided over independence.</s>MADRID (AP) — The Latest on independence efforts in Spain’s Catalonia region (all times local):

News reports says Spanish police have arrested 12 people in raids on offices of the regional government of Catalonia as a crackdown intensifies on the region’s preparations for a secession vote that Spain says is illegal.

Spain’s Europa Press news agency and other media outlets said the raids Wednesday mostly targeted the region’s economic and foreign departments as Spanish authorities worked to halt all preparatory moves for the planned Oct. 1referendum.

Hundreds of people gathered to protest the raids and shout pro-independence slogans outside offices in the region’s capital, Barcelona.

The Catalan regional government confirmed Josep Maria Jove, secretary general of economic affairs, was among those arrested.

Police and judicial authorities would give no details on the operation, saying a judge has placed a secrecy order on it.

The Catalan regional government says that a top official in the management of the region’s economic affairs has been arrested as a crackdown intensifies on preparations for a secession vote that Spanish authorities have suspended.

The arrest of Josep Maria Jove, secretary general of economic affairs and number two to the region’s vice president Oriol Junqueras, took place on Wednesday morning as agents of Spain’s Civil Guard searched the premises of the regional department of economy, a spokeswoman with the institution said.

A spokesman for Junqueras confirmed the arrest and said that other Catalan government premises were being searched by the agents. Both officials declined to be identified by name, following internal protocol.

The central government is waging myriad legal battles to halt the Oct. 1 referendum called by the pro-independence coalition ruling Catalonia, in northeastern Spain.</s>Early Wednesday, Spanish police raided government offices in Catalonia and detained at least a dozen separatist leaders — just 10 days before a planned referendum vote on Catalonian independence.

Catalonia, a region in northeast Spain, has its own language and culture. Separatists have long advocated for independence; a vote in 2014 overwhelmingly supported splitting away from Spain, although turnout was low.

Madrid did not recognize that vote, calling it illegal — and considers the upcoming referendum, slated for Oct. 1, to be equally unconstitutional.

According to El Pais, the Spanish Civil Guard raided multiple Catalan government offices, including the headquarters of the region's departments of Economy; Foreign Affairs; and Labor, Social Affairs and Families. The government arrested 14 people, the newspaper reports, and "among the detained, there are high-ranking officials" from the Catalan government, including the region's secretary of the economy and secretary of the treasury.

In the wake of the Spanish raids, the regional president of Catalonia was holding an emergency Cabinet meeting, NPR's Lauren Frayer reports from Madrid.

Spanish Civil Guards have already confiscated ballots and told police to block voting stations, Lauren says. Now that they've also detained elected officials, tensions are rising:



On Wednesday, Catalan President Carles Puigdemont urged residents in the region to turn out for the Oct. 1 vote.

"We condemn and reject the anti-democratic and totalitarian actions of the Spanish state," he said, according to Reuters.

"Let's resist peacefully," the president of the Catalan National Assembly tweeted. "He did not have to wait long," the BBC reports. It adds:

"The centre of Barcelona soon became a sea of Catalan flags and the city's renowned football club threw its weight behind the protests, condemning any act that threatened freedom of speech and self-determination."</s>News reports says Spanish police have arrested 12 people in raids on offices of the regional government of Catalonia as a crackdown intensifies on the region's preparations for a secession vote that Spain says is illegal.

Spain's Europa Press news agency and other media outlets said the raids Wednesday mostly targeted the region's economic and foreign departments as Spanish authorities worked to halt all preparatory moves for the planned Oct. 1 referendum.

Hundreds of people gathered to protest the raids and shout pro-independence slogans outside offices in the region's capital, Barcelona.

The Catalan regional government confirmed Josep Maria Jove, secretary general of economic affairs, was among those arrested.

Police and judicial authorities would give no details on the operation, saying a judge has placed a secrecy order on it.</s>MADRID (Sputnik) — The referendum on the independence of Catalonia is impossible and the government of the autonomous region should give up this hopeless dream, Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said.

"Elections are held in democratic countries only to make decisions in which everyone participates, the whole society is listened to… They [the Catalan government] know that this referendum cannot be held. It has never been legitimate. Let them return within the framework of law and democracy," Rajoy said in a televised address.

The prime minister urged the supporters of the referendum to take into account the opinion of the majority of the region's residents and referred to the vote as a "pipe dream."

Spain's Constitutional Court has suspended the law on the organization of the referendum approved by the Catalan parliament, which rendered all further preparations illegal.

Earlier, the EU Commission Vice-President also urged calls on all parties to the political process in Catalonia to "respect the constitutional order of the member state they are part of".</s>BARCELONA, Spain — Barcelona has criticized government acts against Catalonia's right to hold a secession referendum next month.

The club released a statement Wednesday after national authorities intensified a crackdown on preparations for an Oct. 1 vote that Spain says is illegal.

Barcelona said it "condemns any act that may impede the free exercise of these rights."

"(The club) will continue to support the will of the majority of Catalan people, and will do so in a civil, peaceful, and exemplary way," Barcelona said.

Spanish police reportedly arrested at least 12 people in raids on Catalan government offices. It was the first time Spanish authorities detained Catalan officials since the campaign for a secession vote in Catalonia began to gather momentum in 2011.

Earlier this year, Barcelona joined the "National Pact for the Referendum," a civil society initiative supporting the vote by the wealthy northeastern region.

Separatists have used Barcelona's Camp Nou Stadium as a rallying point for several years, with pro-independence chants regularly heard at matches.

The Spanish soccer league recently said it was worried about the future of Barcelona if Catalonia unilaterally declared independence.

League president Javier Tebas said that a deal to keep Barcelona and other Catalan clubs in the league would not be as simple as most people may think. He said the teams would be stuck playing in a Catalan league which "wouldn't be much better than the Dutch league or something like that."

By The Associated Press
Spanish police raid Catalan government offices and arrest Catalan officials as part of the effort to halt a banned referendum on independence. Catalan President Carles Puigdemont says, "The Spanish state has by all rights intervened in Catalonia’s government and has established emergency rule."