The human rights organization Human Rights Watch claimed Thursday that Spanish police engaged in excessive force when confronting demonstrators in Catalonia during last week's referendum, using batons to hit non-threatening protesters and causing multiple injuries.
“Our detailed investigation into three cases found that national police and Civil Guard officers used excessive force on October 1 in Catalonia,” said Kartik Raj, Western Europe Researcher at Human Rights Watch. “The police may well have had the law on their side to enforce a court order but it didn’t give them the right to use violence against peaceful protesters.”