Tens of thousands of protesters in Catalonia have again protested against the sentences handed down to nine separatist leaders. In Barcelona, as on Monday, there were clashes with the police.
The partially disguised demonstrators tried to overcome the barrier before the representation of the Spanish central government. Some cursed the forces and threw bottles, paint bags and firecrackers at them. Previously, activists had already blocked several streets and a train station.
Barcelona En Barcelona los manifestes están dando patadas para apartar las vallas that los separan del cordón policial. Han conseguido tirar algunas y la situación se va poniendo más tensa por momentos.
Te lo contamos minuto a minuto: https://t.co/MzLwS5ZYGY pic.twitter.com/45gSRMRM9t
The police also used batons against the demonstrators. Reuters reported that several people had been pushed to the ground by police officers. A video from the news channel "Canal 24h" shows how police pull a demonstrator out of the crowd.
DIRECTO | Cargaspoliciales en la concentración frente a la delegación del Gobierno en Barcelona https://t.co/45UiJHgqUe pic.twitter.com/UkUIIdPQvN
- EL PAÍS (@el_pais) October 15, 2019Whether and how many people were injured in the renewed protests was not known at first.
Demonstration was also in other Catalan cities. 9000 people took to the streets in Girona and Taragona, where the protests remained peaceful, as the newspaper Vanguardia reported.
At the rallies, the civil organizations called the Catalan National Assembly (ANC) and Omnium Cultural, whose former leaders were also in the dock and sentenced to nine years in prison by the Madrid Supreme Court.
The court imposed jail terms of up to 13 years on nine defendants on Monday for their role in the illegal separation referendum held on October 1, 2017. In addition to the leaders of ANC and Omnium, these are former top politicians of the regional government. Everyone was in custody for two years. According to media reports, the convicted can only then Vollzuglockerungen - ie clearance - get, if they have served a quarter of the prison.