Riot police charge at unions protesting death of prison cook at hands of inmate

Riot police have charged at prison union members attempting to enter the building where the Department of Justice is based. 

The demonstrators gathered on Thursday to protest against the death of a member of staff at Mas d'Enric prison, a woman who worked as a cook who was killed by an inmate who later died by suicide. 

There were more than a hundred people in the crowd which tried to enter the building that houses the justice department headquarters, shouting 'minister, resign' and 'minister, assassin'. 

At first, there was only a small number of Mossos d'Esquadra officers at the entrance, but riot police reinforcements arrived from another entrance. 

The union members, some with their faces covered, threw eggs and other objects and the police charged. 

Cook's death 

The woman who was killed died on Wednesday, from stab wounds caused by the prisoner, who also worked in the jail's kitchen. 

The inmate was serving an eleven-year sentence, due to end in April 2027, for stabbing a woman to death in 2016. 

Catalan Justice Minister, Gemma Ubasart, went to Mas d'Enric prison on Thursday where a five-minute silence was observed in memory of the victim.