Seven arrested and five injured in anti-fascist demonstration in Barcelona
Spanish far-right demands the imprisonment of Torra and Puigdemont leaders in a campaign event in the Catalan capital
Police arrested seven anti-fascists demonstrators on Saturday in Barcelona after some threw stones and eggs to a security cordon that separated them from a far-right event.
Extreme-right Spanish party Vox organized a rally in the Catalan capital with its leader, Santiago Abascal. Thousands of far-right supporters demanded the arrest of President Quim Torra and former leader Carles Puigdemont, currently on exile.
Hundreds of anti-fascists demonstrated nearby, amid high security measures to keep both events apart.
There were scenes of unrest as Catalan police agents tried to maintain the security cordon.
As a result, seven people were arrested. Five others were injured, most of them for minor injuries, including one police officer.
Political parties from across the Catalan political spectrum –including some in favor and against independence- condemned the presence of the far-right in the city and defended democratic values.
Mayor Ada Colau said Barcelona represents "love, respect and tolerance" and urged citizens to avoid confronting far-right activists in the streets.
Socialist mayoral candidate Jaume Collboni said the Catalan capital is an "open" city and insisted there is no room for "hate speech".
From the pro-independence front, ERC's Gabriel Rufián said his party will always create a "wall against extremists".
Civil society organization Òmnium Cultural, whose president Jordi Cuixart is in jail in Madrid for his role in the pro-independence push, also regretted the presence of the far right in Barcelona.