Tens of thousands of Spanish protesters turn parts of Barcelona into a fiery battlefield

An estimated 40,000 protesters clashed with police Tuesday and Wednesday in Barcelona following the jailing of leaders of the Catalan separist movement.

Clashes between protesters and police erupted in Barcelona late Tuesday following peaceful demonstrations over the jailing of nine Catalan separatist leaders descended into running battles. Police say the protests were intensifying early Wednesday.

Protesters lit fires and erected makeshift barricades in the center of the city before the crowd was dispersed by baton charges by Spanish and Catalan police, as far as Passeig de Gràcia, the elegant boulevard that is home to many of the city’s most exclusive shops and hotels.

By mid-evening, dozens of fires had been lit on the boulevard and surrounding streets as helicopters hovered overhead. Makeshift barricades were set up with rubbish containers as skirmishes between demonstrators and police continued, with riot police firing numerous rounds of rubber bullets.

Similar scenes were witnessed in the other main Catalan cities of Tarragona, Girona and Lleida, where dozens of people were reportedly injured.

A protester stands on top of a garbage dumpster in Barcelona.

Earlier in the day, the grassroots organisation Assamblea Nacional Catalana (ANC) called for a candlelit protest outside the offices of the Spanish government in Barcelona and other Spanish cities in response to Monday’s sentencing of the nine Catalan politicians and activists for their part in the illegal referendum and unilateral declaration of independence in 2017.

The disturbances follow violence on Monday night when thousands of pro-independence protesters attempted to shut down Barcelona airport, leading to police charges that left more than 130 people injured. Other roads and highways in and around the city are reported to be blocked. Looting was reported in some neighborhoods.

Police say that as many as 40,000 are involved the protest.

Although Tuesday’s demonstrations were called by the ANC, which has previously organized the independence movement’s peaceful and spectacular demonstrations, it appears that it has lost the initiative to the so-called Committees for the Defence of the Republic (CDRs) who favor direct action and confrontation.

The CDRs are thought to be behind the Tsunami Democràtic, the social network group that coordinated Monday’s airport protest.

The Catalan president, Quim Torra, has been critizised for calling for civil disobedience while also sending in Catalan riot police to restore order.

Torra said on Tuesday that the convicted prisoners were proud of the demonstrators and urged them to continue to mobilize over the coming days. A major demonstration and general strike has been called for Friday.

The tourism industry say the riots are costing them millions of dollars of lost revenue as tourists are cancelling hotel and tour reservation. Great Britain, France and other countries are warning the citizens not to travel to Barcelona or other Catalan cities.
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Credit: The Guardian, www.theguardian.com