Catalan independence referendum is held

The day begins with the announcement by the government of Catalonia of the universal census, which allows citizens to vote at any polling station. Many citizens spent the night at the polling stations to prevent the police from closing them down, and since 5:00 am a large number of people have been joining them. Starting at 9:00 am, when the schools open, the National Police and the Civil Guard all over the country begin to close the voting centres and confiscate ballot boxes and votes. At some places, they succeed while at others they give up given the crowds’ resistance. The police actions, which mostly take place in the morning, leave 1,066 injured, according to the government of Catalonia. Despite the police violence, voting is able to take place in most schools, and 2,266,498 voters (42% of the eligible voters) participate. The results are 90.2% in favour and 7.8% against. The government of Catalonia estimates the number of closed schools at 400.