Operation Anubis

Operation Anubis
Part of the 2017 Spanish constitutional crisis and the 2012–present Catalan independence movement
Police charging against voters in front of the Ramon Llull Institute
Date	20 September 2017 (2017-09-20) – 1 October 2017 (2017-10-01)
Location	Catalonia
Goals	Prevent the 2017 Catalan independence referendum from taking place
Methods	Police operation
Status	Referendum not fully prevented in 2,243 out of 2,315 polling stations. Police charges on polling day resulting in hundreds injured.
Parties to the civil conflict
Government of Spain Generalitat of Catalonia
Lead figures
Mariano Rajoy Soraya Sáenz de Santamaría Carles Puigdemont
Casualties
Injured: 431 policemen Injured: 893 Arrested: 18 (14 on a 20 September raid, 4 on 1 October)

Operation Anubis was an operation by the Government of Spain against the Catalan independence referendum of 1 October 2017. Its consequences and the related political situation in Catalonia has been labeled as the Catalonia crisis, and the larger situation as the 2017 Spanish constitutional crisis.

Spanish Guardia Civil began the operation on 20 September 2017 following orders of the trial court number 13 of Barcelona. Different headquarters of the Generalitat de Catalunya were searched and 14 people were arrested, including high ranking administrative staff, and company CEO's involved in the preparation of the referendum. Simultaneously, several printing companies were searched looking for ballot papers and ballot boxes.

After the raids, crowds spontaneously gathered around Catalan regional ministries to support those arrested and protest against the searches. On the morning of 21 September, Jordi Sànchez, president of the pro-independence organization Catalan National Assembly, called for "peaceful resistance" against the police operation. On 23 September, people started organising and camping outside Spanish Government buildings.

The Catalan President Carles Puigdemont accused Spain of violating fundamental human rights and stated that the referendum will be held anyway.Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy stated that the referendum was suspended and deployed additional personnel in Catalonia, which were expected to reach 16,000 police and military police officers distributed in different Catalan cities on 1 October 2017.