Citizens gather in front of Catalonia's Department of Economy headquarters

Spain has shifted up a gear this Wednesday morning. Military police Guardia Civil officers entered offices of three Catalan government ministries: Economy, Governance and Social Affairs. The raids started around 8am local time and they are part of a big operation against the October 1 referendum planned by the Catalan executive. The Catalan Vice Presidency and Economy secretary general, Josep Maria Jové, was arrested, along with 12 more high-ranking officials.