Hundreds demand release of Catalan officials
For a third day protesters show support for government members arrested during Wednesday’s anti-referendum police operation
Six detainees still under arrest started to appear in court on Friday
Hundreds of protesters gathered in front of Catalonia’s City of Justice near Barcelona on Friday morning to demand the release of arrested Catalan politicians. It’s the third day in a row that people have taken to the streets to protest the major police operation carried out on Wednesday aimed at halting the preparations for the independence referendum to be held on October 1.
In total, 15 people were arrested on Wednesday, some 13 of whom were high-ranking officials in the Catalan government. On Friday morning, six of them were still being held. They started to appear in court.
Key figures arrested
The detainees include key figures in the organization of the independence vote, such as the former secretary general of the vice presidency and economy ministries, Josep Maria Jové. He left his post on Friday morning a day after the Spanish Constitutional Court fined him €12,000 a day.
Politicians among the protesters
Among the demonstrators are some top Catalan government officials, such as the Catalan Minister of Foreign Affairs Raül Romeva, and the Health Minister Toni Comín.