New clashes in Barcelona | The duty

Violent clashes between radical independence activists and law enforcement sparked chaotic scenes on Friday night in central Barcelona after a peaceful demonstration against the condemnation of pro-independence leaders.

After hours of war of positions near the central police station between radicals throwing stones or metal objects and police responding by firing rubber bullets and tear gas, the unrest spread to the rest of the center of the city , noted AFP journalists. Fires were lit, especially in the Plaza Catalunya, at the top of the famous Ramblas, and barricades were raised in many streets by hundreds of protesters often masked and shouting "the streets will always be ours". Anti-riot units reported using a water cannon to disperse them. Dozens of riot vans were deployed in the city, screaming sirens.

In this city popular with international tourists, the regional police advised in English on his Twitter account to "not approach" areas in the center of the city because of "violent acts and serious incidents."

Born of the frustration of a part of the independence base, two years after the failure of the 2017 secessionist attempt, the violence has marked a turning point since Monday for the separatist movement, which has always boasted of being non-violent. .

After clashes during the blocking of the airport by more than 10,000 people on Monday, Barcelona had already experienced urban guerrilla scenes from Tuesday to Thursday, a magnitude less important than Friday night.

According to Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska, 128 people have been arrested since the beginning of the week, while 207 police officers have been injured. In total, according to the emergency services, nearly 500 people have been injured since the beginning of the week in the region, including 60 Friday night in Barcelona.

A festive atmosphere

Before these disturbances burst, a monster event had gathered 525 000 people in a festive atmosphere, the culmination of the mobilization started Monday against the conviction by the Spanish justice of nine independentist leaders to terms of 9 to 13 years of imprisonment. prison for the secession attempt of 2017.

With the slogan "Liberty", columns of tens of thousands of separatists left Wednesday five cities in the region to reach Barcelona. "We have been demanding for years (independence) with great patience and hope that (this mobilization) will be the trigger for the situation to change," said David Blanco, a 56-year-old commercial agent.

Non-independenceist, 34-year-old Josue Condez, draped in a Spanish flag, also wanted to join the mobilization against the "excessive sentence" of the Supreme Court. "I feel Catalan and Spanish, I'm not a separatist", but "we can not inflict 13 years in prison on a politician elected for organizing an (illegal) referendum, more than for homicide," says the railway technician .

The separatists also organized a general strike whose effects were evident in this rich region weighing one fifth of the Spanish GDP.

In Barcelona, ​​the famous Basilica of the Sagrada Familia had to close, while the Liceu opera canceled its performance on Friday. Most of the stands of the Boqueria market, very popular with tourists, and many shops were closed.

Under pressure

Less than a month away from the fourth general election in four years in Spain, the unrest has put pressure on the right wing of the socialist Pedro Sanchez's government, demanding exceptional measures to restore order.

From Brussels, Mr Sanchez replied that the state could not "be induced to overreact", while assuring that there would be "no impunity for acts of vandalism".

In Catalonia, the question of independence divides the population in two. According to a survey released in July by the regional government, 44% of the population is in favor, and 48.3% is opposed.