Students occupy Barcelona university in support of secession

Several hundred students have spent the night inside a Barcelona university to protest the government's efforts to stop a referendum over Catalonia's secession from Spain, local media reported today.

The protesters have said on social media that pro- independence politicians are expected to give talks at Barcelona University.

Jordi Vives, a spokesman for the students, told Catalan public television: "We are showing that as students we have a part to play and that for now we are staying put."

The remaining students were hold-outs from a group of about 2,000 that gathered in and around the university yesterday.

Several hundred occupied a central cloister near the offices of the dean and other university managers. Spain's Constitutional Court has suspended the October 1 vote while judges assess its legality.