Catalans Vote On Split From Spain Despite Crackdown

Spanish police used batons and stun grenades in Barcelona on October 1 to forge their way through a crowd trying to prevent them from reaching polling stations for a referendum on independence for the Catalonia region deemed illegal by authorities in Madrid. Amateur footage shows policemen, some wearing masks, confiscating ballot boxes at a voting station in Barcelona and people singing in protest. Catalan leaders say hundreds have been injured in clashes with police. The nonbinding referendum proceeded peacefully in most places throughout Catalonia and many had to wait in long lines to cast their votes. (Reuters)