Colour revolution: Spanish police battle paint-throwing Catalan separatists in Barcelona
Nearly a year after the Spanish region’s illegal referendum on secession and its residents are still divided by the issue
Police clashed on Saturday with Catalan separatists in downtown Barcelona as tensions rise before the anniversary of the Spanish region’s illegal referendum on secession that ended in violent raids by security forces.
Separatists tossed and sprayed powdered paint at the local police, filling the air in a thick cloud and covering anti-riot shields, police vans and the pavement on a downtown boulevard in a panoply of bright colours. Some protesters also threw projectiles and engaged with the police line, which used batons to keep them back.
The clashes erupted after local Catalan police intervened to form a barrier when a separatist threw purple paint on a man who was part of another march of people in support of Spanish police demanding a pay rise. Officers used batons to push back the oncoming separatists and keep apart the opposing groups.
“I make a call for calm. This city has always defended that everyone can exercise their rights to free speech,” Barcelona mayor Ada Colau told Catalunya Radio.
