BARCELONA (Spain), Oct 18 (NNN-AGENCIES) —The president of Spain’s Catalonia region has called for an immediate halt to violence, as protests continued for a third night.
“We condemn violence… This has to stop right now,” Quim Torra said.
On Wednesday, protesters set up burning barricades and hurled projectiles at police in Barcelona, the capital of the autonomous region in the north-east.
Protesters have reportedly been using an app known as Tsunami Democratic, which directs them to protest sites in Catalan cities.
The Spanish authorities say they are investigating who is co-ordinating the disruption.
In a televised statement, Torra said: “We will not permit incidents like those we are seeing in the streets.
“This has to stop right now. There is no reason nor justification for burning cars, nor any other vandalism.”
Torra, who advocates independence for Catalonia, was speaking after Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez had made a direct appeal to him to condemn the violence.
Pro-independence leaders – who control the Catalan regional government – said earlier they would keep pushing for a new referendum on secession from Spain.
The protests began after nine Catalan independence leaders were handed jail sentences of between nine and 13 years by Spain’s Supreme Court on Monday.
The separatists were convicted of sedition over their role in an independence referendum in 2017, which Spain said was illegal.
Another three were found guilty of disobedience and fined, but not jailed. All 12 defendants denied the charges. — NNN-AGENCIES
