Police charges after pro-Palestine protesters occupy Estació de França train station

Catalan Mossos d'Esquadra police have charged against a group of pro-Palestine protesters who had occupied Barcelona's Estació de França train station on Saturday evening.

The incidents happened after a new demonstration through the city center gathered 7,500 people, according to local Guàrdia Urbana police, urging for Israel's attacks on Gaza to end.

After the rally, which started on Plaça d'Urquinaona square at 5 pm, some people entered the train station and occupied the hall. Mossos d'Esquadra blocked access to the railway platforms, but they were not able to stop around 100 people from entering the station itself. 

To evacuate them, they had to make some police charges, and while at the beginning only people with train tickets were allowed to enter and leave the station, they ended up shutting it down completely. Around 8:30 pm, the action had finished, and road traffic and the station were back to normal. 

Demonstrators have renamed the train station as 'Estació Palestina' hanging a large banner on the façade. Meanwhile, organizers of the rally said they did not have any relation with such acts. 

Spain's public track management company Adif, and public rail management Renfe did not report any issues on the service. 

30,000 protesters 

Hours before, the protest through Barcelona's city center saw 30,000 protesters, according to organizers, urging for the war to finish as well as for Israel's attacks on Palestinians to cease. 

While it started in Plaça d'Urquinaona square, it ended in the Parc de la Ciutadella Park, just next to the train station. 

During the demonstration, hundreds of Palestinian flags waved in the air, and people carried posters reading 'Stop Genocide,' 'Israel Fascist State,' or even a full list with victims since the war started on October 7, a month ago this week.

Protesters said a "genocide and ethnic cleansing" is underway and urged for European states to intervene to stop it. 

For them, the right of Israel to defend themselves is "fake" as they are taking advantage of the situation to "brutally force against hospitals and schools. In just five weeks, there are 11,000 deaths, most of them are civilians and children," Salah Jamal, cofounder of Catalonia's Palestinian community. 

After the rally, representatives of different organizations read a manifesto in which they highlighted that "we are being testimonies of a genocide committed by Israel with all impunity in Gaza."

They have urged the Spanish government and the European Union to cease the arms business with Israel and the military and security cooperation. This is one of the requests also made during a massive demonstration, also in Barcelona late in October, where around 70,000 people protested.