Catalonia’s police chief appeared at court in Madrid this morning accused of preventing Spanish police from stopping the Catalan referendum.
Josep Trapero is accused of sedition for allegedly encouraging protesters to hinder Spanish police searching for illegal ballot boxes in Barcelona.
An investigating judge summoned him along with two leaders of protest groups.
Catalonia’s police chief (centre holding a folder) appeared at court in Madrid this morning accused of not trying hard enough to stop the Catalan referendum
Trapero’s force was accused of failing to rein in pro-independence protesters in Barcelona on September 20 and 21 after national security forces raided regional government offices in a crackdown against the independence drive.
Trapero arrived at Madrid’s National Court this morning flanked by two fellow officers. He made no comment to waiting reporters.
The two other suspects are leaders of Catalonia’s two most prominent pro-independence civil groups, Jordi Cuixart of Omnium Cultural and Jordi Sanchez of the Catalan National Assembly (ANC).
They were greeted outside the court by a cheering crowd of politicians from allied parties.
Catalan regional police chief Josep Luis Trapero, second left, arrives at the national court in Madrid
A small group of about eight anti-independence protesters also demonstrated outside the court yelling ‘Catalonia is Spain,’ before police made them leave.
A fourth defendant, senior Catalan police official Teresa Laplana, was due to appear before the judge by video link for health reasons, court officials said.
Tensions between Catalonia and the national government have plunged Spain into its worst political crisis in decades.
Announcing the summons on Wednesday, the court said the suspects were accused of ‘a crime of sedition in relation to the gatherings and demonstrations carried out to forcibly prevent the authorities and their officers from performing their duties.’
The crime of sedition is punishable by up to 15 years in prison under Spain’s penal code if committed by a member of the authorities.
In the September demonstrations called by Omnium and ANC, protesters damaged Civil Guard police vehicles and stopped officers from leaving the building they were searching.
Police prevented the defendants’ supporters from entering the court building with them on Friday.
One Catalan lawmaker defiantly waved at police a voting paper from last Sunday’s contested independence referendum.
That vote was banned by Madrid and marred by violence by national police against voters.
Parliamentary deputies argue with police who wouldn’t let them get close when Catalan regional police chief Josep Luis Trapero arrived at the national court in Madrid
National security forces beat unarmed voters as officers shut down some polling stations.
Yesterday Spain’s Constitutional Court suspended a session of the Catalan parliament scheduled for Monday in which local leaders were expected to declare Catalonia’s unilateral independence from Spain.
The ruling followed a legal challenge by the Catalan Socialist Party, which opposes secession, according to El Pais newspaper.
It comes after Spanish PM Mariano Rajoy urged Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont to abandon plans to on Monday declare the region’s independence ‘to avoid greater evils’.
Anger: Thousands of demonstrators chant slogans outside the HQ of Spain’s national police force in Barcelona