Primavera Sound responds to police raids ahead of Catalan independence referendum

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  • The Barcelona festival voiced support for civil rights after a number of officials involved in the controversial vote were arrested.
  • Primavera Sound responds to police raids ahead of Catalan independence referendum image
  • Barcelona's Primavera Sound festival has posted a statement in response to recent police raids targeting senior Catalan officials and ministries involved in the region's upcoming independence referendum. "Primavera Sound cannot and does not want to keep quiet about the events that have taken place in Catalonia and especially what has taken place today in Barcelona," the statement says. "We want to publicly manifest our support for all the institutions, bodies and people that in the last few hours have suffered a violation of their fundamental civil rights. "We at Primavera Sound condemn any action that prevents the free and full exercise of these democratic rights, and we urge all those who feel assaulted to take a serene, civic and peaceful stance in the face [of] this adversity. Today we stand united." According to BBC, the national police force today detained 14 government officials in Catalonia—the autonomous community whose capital is Barcelona—because of their involvement in the referendum, which is set to take place on October 1st. The crackdown has been met with condemnation by the Catalan president as well as large street protests. Spain's national government argues that the upcoming vote is illegal, a claim supported by the country's highest court. But polls indicate strong support among Catalans for holding a referendum, and while opinion on the issue of separation itself appears more evenly divided, an estimated one million people attended a pro-independence march in Barcelona last week. Read Primavera Sound's full statement.
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