Spanish Civil Guards suspected of stealing pro-independence flag in Viloví d'Onyar tonight

Members of the Civil Guard are suspected of participating in the theft of an estelada, a pro-independence flag in Vilobí d'Onyar. “Three or four individuals” were seen inside a car that stopped at the roundabout that marks the city limit of Vilobí, in the province of Girona. At least one person got out of the car, climbed the flagpole decorating the roundabout, and yanked the estelada off the top. The vehicle then drove away, according to the police report. A witness jotted down the license plate and informed local authorities.

Unionists usually stole and attack Catalan symbols in Catalonia but this time the fact is that when investigators at the Mossos d’Esquadra — the Catalan police agency — checked the license plate number on their database, the system said it was a “reserved” number. Further inquiries yielded a surprising result: even though it looked like a civilian vehicle, the car in fact belongs to the Civil Guard, a national law enforcement agency.