BARCELONA: Six people were arrested in Barcelona on Saturday as protesters for and against independence scuffled with police, two days before the first anniversary of a vote on secession that polarised the Spanish region. Two people were arrested after separatist protesters threw powder paint at riot police who were keeping them apart from a rival unionist demonstration. Another four were arrested later on Saturday. Fourteen people received treatment for injuries sustained in the protests, all of them minor, local press reported. Tensions remain high in the independence-minded region a year after the October 1 vote deemed illegal by Madrid but celebrated by separatist Catalans.
Pro-independence groups had camped out overnight on Friday to prevent a demonstration in support of police deployed in Catalonia during last year’s failed bid to split from Spain. The demonstration went ahead but was forced to take a different route. Voters chose overwhelmingly to become independent, though turnout was low with those against secession largely boycotting the vote. According to Catalan authorities, almost 1000 people were injured last year after police tried to stop voting at polling stations across the region. Narcis Termes, 68, an electrician attending the separatist protest with his wife, said he was no longer hopeful about the prospects of Catalonia gaining independence. “Last year, we lived through one of our best moments. I watched my parents cry with joy at being able to vote but now we are stuck,” he said. — Reuters
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