FC Barcelona, among the organizations rejecting anti-referendum police operation

The football club “condemns any act that may impede” the free exercise of the right to self-determination

The FC Barcelona president, Josep Maria Bartomeu, and the Catalan president, Carles Puigdemont, met in March 2016
The FC Barcelona president, Josep Maria Bartomeu, and the Catalan president, Carles Puigdemont, met in March 2016 / ACN

ACN | Barcelona

September 20, 2017 04:25 PM

The major Spanish police operation against the October 1 referendum has received criticism not only from many political leaders and citizens in Catalonia, but also from some organizations such as FC Barcelona.

The world-famous football club said that it is committed to “the defense of the [Catalan] nation, to democracy, to freedom of speech, and to self-determination”. Therefore, it “condemns any act that may impede the free exercise of these rights.”

In a statement today, the club said it “publicly expresses its support for all people, entities, and institutions that work to guarantee these rights.” Additionally, FC Barcelona stated that “it will continue to support the will of the majority of Catalan people, and will do so in a civil, peaceful and exemplary way”.