Over 300 Spanish Civil Guard Officers To Remain In Catalonia Until Mid-October - Decree

Faizan Hashmi Published September 05, 2018 | 04:53 PM

At least 330 members of Spain's Civil Guard will remain in the autonomous region of Catalonia until October 15 to "ensure security during this quarter" ahead of the one-year anniversary of the region's independence referendum, among other upcoming events, the agency said in a decree.

BARCELONA (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 05th September, 2018) At least 330 members of Spain's Civil Guard will remain in the autonomous region of Catalonia until October 15 to "ensure security during this quarter" ahead of the one-year anniversary of the region's independence referendum, among other upcoming events, the agency said in a decree.

The decree was released in a daily bulletin on Tuesday.

Several thousand Civil Guard officers were initially deployed in Catalonia as part of the so-called Operation Copernicus in mid-September 2017 ahead of the October 1 referendum, which was not recognized by the central authorities.

The personnel will also be ensuring security in Catalonia this fall in the anticipation of the region's National Day, celebrated on September 11, and the one-year anniversary of the region-wide walkout held by pro-independence groups and trade unions on October 3, 2017.

According to unofficial estimates, cited by Spanish media, some 20,000 additional security officers have been deployed to Catalonia as part of Operation Copernicus.

In the October 1 referendum, over 90 percent of voters supported Catalonia's independence from Spain. However, the vote was decried by the Spanish central authorities, which subsequently dismissed the regional government and parliament, and introduced direct rule over the region.

Several prominent pro-independence Catalan politicians were jailed as a result of the campaign, while ex-head of the regional government, Carles Puigdemont, fled Spain to escape rebellion and embezzlement charges.