Our former chairman, Jordi Sànchez, was imprisoned alongside Jordi Cuixart, then president of Òmnium Cultural, following the peaceful demonstrations of 20 September 2017. On that day, the Spanish Guardia Civil raided Catalan government offices as part of the operation against the preparations for the 1 October referendum. The raids prompted spontaneous demonstrations in Barcelona, with thousands of people gathering outside the Department of Economy.

The ANC notified the Spanish Interior Ministry of its intention to demonstrate and later sought to protect demonstrators from prosecution and fines. Jordi Sànchez and Jordi Cuixart played a leading role in the protest and, after mediating with the judicial committee and the Guardia Civil, repeatedly called on the crowd to remain peaceful and disperse. Despite this, both were charged with sedition and placed in pre-trial detention. The Spanish Prosecutor’s Office argued that their role in leading the demonstration constituted a criminal disturbance, although no violence had taken place. These arrests were clearly politically motivated. Moreover, Amnesty International denounced that the detention constituted a disproportionate restriction of their rights to free speech and peaceful assembly.

In the weeks surrounding the referendum, ANC members and volunteers also faced police searches, intimidation, and confiscation of campaign materials – even T-shirts with a simple “SÍ” (“YES) written on them, banners, and flyers. On 25 September 2017, the Guardia Civil blocked the ANC website, without the organisation receiving a specific court order or prior notification. The same happened with over 140 websites that supported the referendum. The Guardia Civil acted as a political police force with absolute carte blanche to censor civil society at its discretion.