Spain: ‘An attack against democracy’ - Catalan students rally against crackdown

Two thousand Catalan students lined the streets of Barcelona on Friday, as they protested recent actions of the Civil Guard against Catalan government officials, and the arrest of several.
Hundreds of students then entered the main building of Barcelona University and have reportedly occupied a room near university managerial staff offices.
Coordinator of the Students Council at the Universitat Politecnica de Catalunya UPC, Ismael el Brak, explained that, “We're here to defend our rights. The university is a centre for the exchange of values, values that have been damaged nowadays. It is for this reason that we are here and we'll remain."
"We think that we're suffering a coup d'etat, an invasion from the Spanish government and we believe we shouldn't let is happen and we should act in a thorough manner," said another protester.
Another said, "I think it is an attack against democracy and freedom of expression. It is completely unjustifiable in the 21st century and the society we're living in."
Some 700 mayors face the risk of being arrested for supporting the independence referendum. Catalan citizens will vote in an upcoming historic independence referendum on October 1, in a ballot that has been ruled illegal and unconstitutional by the Spanish Supreme Court.