Political tensions in Spain over Catalan's push for independence

In Spain, the Madrid government strongly opposes Catalonia’s regional government plans to hold a vote on independence on October 1. Spain’s Constitutional Court has ruled the ballot illegal. Today Spanish police raided Catalan government offices and arrested the junior minister, along with 13 others.

Advice

Political tensions have been running high since Catalan leaders decided to go ahead with the October 1 vote to split from Spain. Both planned and spontaneous protests are expected leading up to October 1st and after in Barcelona and cities in Catalan. Although events have been peaceful, minimize safety risk by avoiding large public gatherings and protests. Peaceful events can sometimes escalate unexpectedly and quickly and become violent.