Protest in Barcelona marks aniversary of Catalan leaders' sentencing

A protest called by pro-independence groups in the heart of Barcelona on Wednesday night marks one year since the sentencing of 9 Catalan leaders to lenghty prison terms for sedition, which unleashed a week of turmoil across Catalonia.

Hundreds of protesters gathered at 8 pm in Urquinaona, the city's central square which saw the fiercest clashes between protesters and police officers in October 2019.

The demonstration was called by the Committees in Defense of the Republic, a de-centralized network of protest groups created in the run-up to the 2017 independence referendum--a vote held despite Spain's authorization that eventually led to the imprisonment of Catalonia's top political leaders and activists.

Amid a heavy police presence, protesters set Spanish flags on fire and chanted slogans against Spain and in solidarity with jailed pro-independence leaders. Protesters later moved to Via Laietana, where the headquarters of the Spanish police are located, rising tensions between protesters and officers.