The president of the Catalonia, Carles Puigdemont, has today sat down with representatives of Spain's Interior Ministry and made it clear that this Sunday he won't suspend the planned referendum. The remark came when the secretary of State for Security asked him during the Security Board meeting what has been done to clarifying who is organising the police for 1st October and how.
With that started the meeting that, over almost two hours, didn't define the security plan but did make it clear that the Mossos d'Esquadra (Catalan police) will act proportionally, that the priority is the safety of the public and not closing off polling stations and that the responsibility falls on the Catalan, not the Spanish, police.
With Puigdemont's firm commitment to do everything possible for the vote on Sunday to go ahead, the meeting revolved around how the Mossos will act after a judge yesterday gave more relaxed orders than the Public Prosecutor and took control.
Civil Guard and Spanish National Police stand up Puigdemont
The commander imposed by the Spanish Interior Ministery, the ministry's number three, Civil Guard colonel Francisco Pérez de los Cobos, represented Spain's security forces at the meeting. The heads in Catalonia of the Civil Guard, Ángel Gozalo, and the National Police, Sebastián Trapote, didn't attend as they recognise de los Cobos as their commander.
On behalf the Catalan government were the general secretary of the Interior Department, Cèsar Puig; the general director of the Mossos, Pere Soler, and the head of the Mossos, Josep Lluís Trapero.
The Security Board of Catalonia's aim is to coordinate the security policy and the activity of the police forces of Spain and Catalonia, as well as the exchange of information internationally and collaborative and assistance relationships with the police authorities of other countries.
The Mossos will not act if there are thousands in the streets
The Catalan Interior Minister, Joaquim Forn, made it clear that the Public Prosecutor's order had crumbled and that, as such, the centres will not be closed off from Friday. A decision will be taken on whether to close them later on. It will all depend on the situation. Forn doesn't see the Mossos closing polling stations with thousands of people in the streets, when the priority will be to guarantee public safety.
The Catalan government today told the leaders from the Spanish Interior Ministry that the responsibility falls to the Mossos. "It was left very clear", said Forn, who listed the criteria the Mossos will act based on, as defined in law: opportunity, congruence and proportionality. According to the Minister, the Interior Ministry representatives at the meeting were in agreement with the criteria.
Tensions
The meeting was also useful for lowering tensions, although the secretary of State for Security, started by showing his discomfort that president Puigdemont had called the meeting without agreeing either date or agenda. "He did it unilaterally," said José Antonio Nieto.
"We're free because we're slaves to the law." That was Nieto's justification for the political aim to prevent the referendum. The secretary repeated throughout the meeting that the objective is "for the law and rule of law to be followed and for coexistence to be maintained".
He highlighted that all parties want Sunday to be a festive day, but Nieto doubled down on the aim of preventing the vote and gave a message that on Sunday everything must happen "joyously". Everything except voting. "We have to try, and I believe we can manage it, that things happen peacefully, calmly, respecting the law and the rule of law," he said.
He also said that no operational decisions were taken during the meeting because it wasn't the place for them and that everything remains in the hands of Francisco Pérez de los Cobos.