It was the fifth consecutive night of riots The separatist regional government in Catalonia has met for a crisis meeting. Prime Minister Quim Torra discussed Saturday's situation in Barcelona with Interior Minister Miquel Buch and other cabinet members, media said.
Buch had previously told TV station La Sexta that "such extreme violence" has never happened in Catalonia. " In Barcelona, the Minister of the Interior of the Spanish central government Fernando Grande-Marlaska is expected on Saturday.
Since Monday, there have been repeated protests after Spain's Supreme Court has imposed imprisonment of up to 13 years against prominent Catalan separatists for "turmoil". It was about her role in the controversial referendum on the independence of Catalonia in 2017.
The number of injured - including 22 policemen and two journalists - has now tripled to 180. In Barcelona alone, rescue workers counted at least 152 injured.
The Spanish Ministry of the Interior reported 83 preliminary arrests in connection with the demonstrations that escalated on Friday evening, especially in Barcelona. According to media reports, one of the detainees was a photographer from the newspaper "El País". Before the nocturnal riots, around 525,000 people had peacefully demonstrated against the condemnation of nine separatist leaders in the breakaway region in northeastern Spain and more self-determination, according to police estimates in Barcelona alone.
Most violent night of the week
Separatists had called a general strike. There were also protests and riots in other Catalan cities such as Tarragona, Lleida and Girona. According to the consensus of the media and politicians, it was the most violent night since the conflict resumed after the verdicts were announced last Monday.