Barcelona Braces for Sustained Protests After Raids on Officials

Standing on top of a battered police car around midnight, separatist leader Jordi Sanchez told protesters gathered outside the regional economy department to go home and prepare for a sustained insurrection after Spanish police arrested regional officials and seized ballot papers during a day of dramatic confrontation in the Catalan capital. Sanchez‘s Catalan National Assembly is calling for a permanent demonstration from noon Thursday as it pushes for a vote on Oct. 1.

„Half of our team is arrested -- not for doing something wrong, but for doing what we must do,“ Catalan Vice President Oriol Junqueras said, his voice breaking, in an emotional interview with regional broadcaster TV3. „People should look hard at who they choose to trust, they will see who is acting with honor.“