> Perhaps somebody can explain the situation to me a little better

Sorry by the extension, but this can't be explained in just a few words. Ill try to break it in several parts.

Is just a scam. The situation is that a theater, a farcical referendum without any single guarantee of fair play was created in the name of a peculiar kind of understanding democracy, and for some purposes that we'll see later.

Lets talk about this "referendum". Resuming:

Neither a minimum of participation percentage to validate the results ("if there was only a single vote and this vote were a Yes, I would declare the secession of the territory in the very next day"),

nor neutral observers

An independentist politician using their own home as electoral point of votation

Judges explaining for months to > 800 mayors, government officials and politicians that this is illegal, why, and what will be the consequences if they cooperate in breaking the law. Some of this same people saying that they will not recognise this jury, because the order cames from an invasor country, fascist party, franco resurrected, whatever.

Independentist people apparently being asked to put a few "NO to independence" votes in the urns, for faking a participation of constitutionalist people, and gain legitimity.

Fake posters of constitutionalist parties appearing in the walls, "asking for vote", for the same reason. Dismissed as fake for the same organisations and politicians represented on it.

Fake document from "the spanish army" saying "that tanks are coming to Catalonia" with the purpose to spread fear and hate and galvanize people feelings. Dismissed as fake by the army.

People coming from home carrying urns opaque that stumble and fall in the street releasing lots of pre-loaded ballots

People stuffing ballots in a box in the street

People taking selfies and having fun whereas being allowed to vote four times in four different places

Photographs of little girls voting (yes, the vote would probably be from one of their parents, but lets remember that is expressely forbiden by law than other than the voter or the president of the electoral table, be allowed to enter the vote)

Printing like 14 millions of ballots for a population of around 5 millions of people able to vote (perhaps to substitute one set of votes by other when people go home?)

Asking people to print more unoficial ballots at home in their personal printer

Local policemen in rebelion against the mandate of a catalonian jury. Local and national policy accusing the other from obstructing deliberately their duty.

People rioting and ocupying public buildings, after pressing for months to directors of schools and health care centers to give up the building keys and break the law. Many hundreds of both policemen an people hurt in 'pacific' events that include asaulting in mass and wallpapering police cars with pro-referendum posters (with policemen inside), throwing pacifically rocks and chairs to the police, and biting them.

Asking parents to excuse their kids from being to the school because the minors have to manifestate for promoting the "referendum"

Asking parents to take minors to last hour created "weekend activities and parties" in their schools (to have a legal excuse for the public school being opened the day of the scam)

Of course the majority of the same politics that pressed hard the normal people to commit an illegal act, had deserted from being seen in any organizational task the day of the referendum, to avoid being sued themselves.

... A total nonsense.

This was paid with public money with two clear objectives in mind and maybe other two hypothetical objectives that well discuse in a next post.