Raids and referendums

Researchers in Barcelona have been investigating the impact of police violence on the October 2017 referendum on independence for Catalonia, in which 2,286,217 people voted, representing 44 per cent of the electorate. Toni Rodon and Marc Guinjoan concluded that ‘although the police raids had a negative impact on local participation, it induced positive spillover effects in nearby areas’. The greatest effect was felt in municipalities some ten kilometres from where raids took place, where turnout was 6.2 per cent higher than average, with a quarter of the increase believed to be new voters.