Calella is a sleepy seaside town up the coast from Barcelona, very popular with tourists. Today, several hotels, including Palmeres, Catalonia and Vila, have urged some 500 agents of the Spanish National Police and Civil Guard to leave their rooms after yesterday's referendum.
Police sources have told Spanish news agency EFE that 250 anti-riot officers of the National Police will have to find alternative accommodation whilst they remain deployed in Catalonia.
The sources says that last night a group of people went to one of the hotels to rebuke the police, which led to some agents, dressed in civilian clothes, injuring at least 14 people (link in Catalan).
Fa una estona al c. St. Josep, devant l'hotel Vila un grup de persones cantant als policies allotjats. #1OCalella pic.twitter.com/bvzrrQibJf
— Calella radio TV (@RadioCalellaTV) 1 of October 2017
The sources said that the mayor of Calella, Montserrat Candini (PDeCAT - Catalan European Democratic Party), directly called the hotel owners to warn them that either they could kick out the agents, or they would have pending reform licences suspended.
The officers decided to leave the hotels so that the workers there, some of whom had stayed away today, "don't have problems" and expressed their "thanks to all the employees for the attention we've always received".
A #Calella -de matinada i vestits de 'paisà'- agents de la Guàrdia Civil han seguit...
— (((Marc Portet))) (@portet_bruguera) 2 October 2017
4 ferits (1 d'ells amb el nas trencat) pic.twitter.com/a585kNkNQG
Translation: In Calella -in the early morning and dressed in civilian clothes- agents of the Civil Guard have followed... 4 injured (1 of them with a broken nose)
More businesses bar entry to the agents
Gyms, bars and other businesses which for years have benefited from the almost continuous presence of security forces in the town have also today stopped letting them enter their premises.
Some of them have even published messages on their social media feeds condemning the actions yesterday by police in polling stations and warning the police: "From today on, in support of a fundamental right like democracy, you're not welcome. Surely many other establishments will be delighted to receive your money."
The situation has been also denounced by the AUGC (Unified Association of Civil Guards) which, in a statement, as well as discussing the case of the hotels emphasised the harassment and hostility towards Civil Guards which is causing "very difficult situations in the family of workers which until short days ago lived fully integrated in Catalonia".