SABADELL (pop 200,000) Referendum Defence Committee is holding 7 mass meetings across the city to organise the defence of polling stations for Sunday's Catalan independence referendum.

Thousands have turned up to the meetings in which detailed plans have been worked out. After a general discussion those presents have broken down into groups, one for each polling station. In most cases these are located in schools and high schools. The plan is to organise all sorts of activit...ies (cultural, sports, cinema, ...) in the schools from Friday at the end of the school day right until Sunday at polling station opening time. Parents, teachers and students, as well as concerned neighbours will spend all that time in schools making thus sure they stay open.