The Barcelona centre-back has been an outspoken supporter of independence for Catalonia and was one of millions to participate in a referendum on the issue on Sunday.
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Officials in Catalonia said almost 900 people were injured when police tried to keep residents from voting in the referendum, which was deemed unconstitutional by Spanish courts. The head of the Catalan regional police has ordered officers to evacuate and close polling stations by 6 a.m. on Sunday, before the voting is due to open at 9 a.m.
The Spanish government is adamant that he can not and the country’s constitutional court ordered the referendum to be suspended last month.
Carles Puigdemont, the region’s elected leader, has asked for European Union mediation in negotiations and said Catalonia has “won the right to an independent state”.
The move will nearly certainly be blocked by the Spanish government, which now has the option of suspending Catalonia’s regional autonomy.
Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy has said the vote made a “mockery” of democracy.
Puigdemont has appealed for worldwide mediation, although the European Commission said Monday that it “trusted” Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy to handle the situation.
Guardiola said: “The images don’t lie, there were people who wanted to vote and they’ve been attacked”.
“I am very disturbed by the violence in Catalonia”, the official said.
Despite his support for the referendum, Pique said he believes he could remain on Spain’s national team.
A day after Spanish police beat people trying to vote in an independence referendum in Catalonia, the Polish foreign ministry urged dialogue and compromise.
Officials estimated voter turnout for Sunday’s referendum was about 42.3 percent of 5.34 million eligible voters.
“With this day of hope and suffering, the citizens of Catalonia have won the right to an independent state in the form a republic”, he said during a televised interview.
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Catalan traffic authorities said 24 different protests were blocking several roads and motorways, with vehicles queuing for up to 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) in some cases.
