Catalunya key politicians arrested over referendum

Josep Maria Jové, right-hand man of the region's deputy president Oriol Junqueras, is among those now in custody, along with Catalunya's secretary for the treasury, Lluís Salvadó; head of IT and telecommunications Josué Sallent Rivas and one of his team members, David Franco Martos; social affairs office head Xavier Puig Farré; foreign affairs office member David Palancad Serrano, Juan Manuel Gómez of the regional ministry for the economy and taxation, plus two people linked to a warehouse which had been storing electoral campaign material, Pau Furriol and Mercedes Martínez.

Regional government offices, including that of Salvadó on the Ramblas in Barcelona and the economy ministry headquarters and tax collection office on the Gran Vía, have been searched extensively.

Police even entered the headquarters of the foreign affairs ministry, based in one wing of the Casa dels Canonges – the regional president's official residence, which is located inside the government headquarters.

IT and telecommunications companies including Indra and T-Systems and the homes of policy advisor Joan Ignasi Sánchez, a former Catalunya Left Republican (ERC) councillor, in Sabadell, have been raided.

Yesterday (Tuesday), the Guardia Civil seized 45,000 envelopes due to be used for ballot slips during a raid on several branches of the courier firm Unipost.

The State has blocked 32 websites and ordered telecommunications companies to prevent access to any internet material relating to the referendum, and 1.5 million posters and brochures advertising and promoting the referendum have been confiscated.

With every website set up being taken offline, the Catalunya's regional government has set up a Twitter hashtag as its only way of sharing information about the vote due on October 1.

Family affairs, social services and employment minister for the region, Dolors Bassa, wrote on her Twitter profile that Catalunya was 'under siege'.

Key members of the regional government have reacted furiously, calling the State's actions a 'violation of basic human rights' and a 'dictatorship', whilst ERC spokesman Gabriel Rufián has called for Spanish president Mariano Rajoy to 'get his dirty hands off' Catalunya's institutions.

Meanwhile, hundreds of members of the public have staged a protest outside the regional government building over the extreme operation.

Police action, searches and arrests are considered to be warranted as the national government says proceeding with the referendum would be a case of misuse of taxpayers' funds, given that the Spanish Constitution does not allow such votes, making it 'illegal'.