Barcelona Join Catalan Strike Tuesday

24-time La Liga winners Barcelona FC will join a countrywide strike on Tuesday to protest the mass police violence at the Catalonia referendum.

Barca played their match against Las Palmas behind closed doors on Sunday as a result of the violence and on Monday, staffers of the Spanish top-flight club came to a standstill in condemnation of the politically motivated dispute.

“FC Barcelona joins the countrywide strike called for by Table for Democracy and therefore the club will be closed tomorrow,” Barca said in a statement on Monday.

“None of the professional teams or the youth teams at FC Barcelona will train tomorrow.

“Club and all of its employees cease activity from noon and for a quarter of an hour in response to Sunday’s repression of free speech.

“FC Barcelona heeded the call by the Taula per la Democràcia (Democracy Board) and came to a standstill this Monday morning from 12.00pm to 12.15pm CET to vehemently condemn the use of violence to prevent the exercise of free democratic rights and the freedom of expression of its people during the referendum that took place throughout Catalonia this Sunday.’’