Catalonia crisis: Violence erupts as Nazi-saluting protesters clash with police at rally

VIOLENCE broke out in Barcelona this afternoon as Nazi-saluting fascists clashed with police at an anti-independence protest.

Chanting ‘Viva Franco’ and Nazi-saluting, protesters wrapped in Spain’s red and yellow flag were confronted by Catalan police officers wielding batons.
Shocking video shows a group of men lashing out at a line of police officers. One protester is seen lunging at a police officer, who hits back with a baton to the leg before the violence continues.
Further video shows gangs shouting ‘Viva Franco’, a celebration of the Spanish dictator who put down Catalonia in the Spanish Civil War, and groups of protesters Nazi-saluting openly.
Today’s unity protest saw protesters shout obscenities about Catalan separatist journalists and call for the region’s president Carles Puigdemont to be imprisoned.

Opinion polls show that more than half of the 5.3 million people eligible to vote in the wealthy northeastern region, which is already autonomous, do not want to break from Spain.
But emotions are running high and the next few days will be tricky for Madrid as it embarks on enforcing direct rule.
Government buildings, the headquarters of national political parties, ports, airports, courts, and the Bank of Spain were being guarded, the Interior Ministry said. Units of the regional force could be replaced if events made that necessary.
Catalonia's police force told its officers to stay neutral, a step towards averting possible conflict following doubts over how they would respond if ordered to evict Puigdemont and his government.

The force is riven by distrust between those for and against independence and also estranged from Spain's national police forces, Mossos and national officers have told Reuters. 

Some Catalan officers stood between national police and those trying to vote during the referendum.

While pro-unity protesters came out in force today, disputed Catalan president Carles Puigdemont has also called for peaceful resistance as Spain implements Article 155 to impose direct rule.

Huge demonstrations and civil disobedience are expected to continue as the conflict goes on.

At Sunday's rally, former European Parliament president Josep Borrell called for unionist voters to turn out in December to ensure independence supporters lose their stranglehold on the regional parliament.

"Maybe we're here because many of us during elections didn't go and vote. Now we have a golden opportunity. This time, nobody should stay at home," Borrell said to cheering crowds.

Protesters flew the traditional 'rojigualda' flag in Barcelona today

Passionate pro-Spaniards demanded to remain a united country

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The protest was marred by some violent clashes between police and demonstrators

The violent scenes at today’s protest come as a leading academic yesterday predicted violent clashes between separatists and civil guard - so there could be more shocking scenes to come out of Spain.
Dr Sally-Ann Kitts, senior lecturer in Hispanic and Catalan Studies at the University of Bristol, told Express.co.uk she would be “amazed” if there was no violence.
She said: “The civil guard and the national police never left Catalonia. They will be deployed and meet with large groups of Catalan people providing peaceful resistance.
“The images we saw on 1st October, people standing with their hands up in this sort of stand-off, and eventually the guards charged forward riot shields and batons - I really will be amazed if we don’t see more of that, sadly.

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'We are Catalans and Spaniards too': many are attached to both identities

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Protesters called for Catalan president Carles Puigdemont to go to prison

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The protest was mostly peaceful with supporters of unity with Spain vowing to oust separatists in up

“For example if they go to arrest Puigdemont I imagine there will be a very large group of people outside the parliament who want to stop them from doing that. This sort of thing I think, tragically, is going to happen.”
Mr Puigdemont faces 30 years in jail if charged with "rebellion” as Madrid seeks to impose direct rule.
Dr Kitts believes Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy will continue to take a very hard line against separatists and could arrest multiple leaders within the Catalan government.

Speaking on Sky news, he said: "Whether the referendum was legal or not I don't think you can stop in a free country people being able to express their own opinion."
He called on the Spanish government and Catalan authorities to hold another referendum in Catalonia and agree beforehand that they would accept the result.
He added: "People have a right to determine their own identities, their own nationalities. It’s a principle that has been deeply embedded for hundreds of years in western culture. It is a fundamental part of the United Nations charter. And to respect that, you have to hold a full, free and fair referendum."
The chaos has prompted an exodus of businesses from Catalonia, which contributes about a fifth of Spain's economy, the fourth-largest in the euro zone.
Tourism to Barcelona has been hit and markets have darted up and down on the fast-moving developments.
European leaders have also denounced the push, fearing it could fan separatist sentiment around the continent.

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