Catalonia upheaval set to continue
Catalonia geared up for more upheaval yesterday, a day after thousands of pro-independence activists stormed Barcelona airport in an angry response to Spain鈥檚 jailing of nine of its leaders following a failed secession bid.
By early yesterday, several roads and railway lines remained cut as activists awaited new instructions from Democratic Tsunami, the group which coordinated Monday鈥檚 mass bid to swarm the city鈥檚 El Prat airport, where they choked-off road and rail access.
Activists engaged in running battles with riot police as they sought to enter the terminal but were repeatedly rebuffed, with police staging multiple charges and firing foam rounds into the crowds in a standoff which forced the cancellation of 110 flights, airport officials said.
Although life was slowly returning to normal at the airport after a night in which hundreds of people were stranded at the terminal, another 45 flights were canceled yesterday.
Monday鈥檚 ruling unleashed a day of chaos, with Catalan separatists enraged by the Supreme Court鈥檚 decision to hand heavy prison sentences of between nine and 13 years to leaders convicted of sedition over the 2017 referendum and short-lived declaration of independence.
The emergency services said 131 people were injured in the protests, 115 of them at the airport, with the rest in Barcelona and elsewhere. One protester sustained a serious injury to his eye, hospital officials said.
One person was arrested, police said.
鈥淔or me, the worst thing is Europe, which hasn鈥檛 said anything. That鈥檚 why we鈥檙e doing this, to cause the worst possible disturbance, so it affects everyone, to see if they realise and do something,鈥 said IT consultant Carles Navarro.
鈥淲e have always chosen peaceful ways (of fighting for what we believe in) but nobody listens. Now we鈥檙e forced to go down the route of civil disobedience.鈥
In a message to its 150,000 followers on the Telegram messaging app, Democratic Tsunami directed activists to head for the airport.
鈥淭he time has come to make our voice felt around the world.
鈥淭he goal: stop the activity of Barcelona鈥檚 airport,鈥 it said in a call heeded by thousands.
So far, those behind the movement remain unknown but Spanish Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska said investigators were trying to identify them.
Spain鈥檚 government has expressed hope the trial鈥檚 end would allow it to move on from the crisis in Catalonia, where support for independence has gained momentum over the past decade.
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