Riots erupt at Barcelona airport with Brits caught up in chaos after Catalan leaders are jailed
BRITS were blockaded in Barcelona’s El Prat airport as Catalonian separatists rioted over the jailing of pro-independence leaders.
Stranded fliers begged EasyJet to help them flee after 108 flights were cancelled and protesters surrounded each terminal.
Over 40 people are thought to be injured, with three demonstrators arrested for attacking officers.
Demonstrations erupted around Catalonia in the north east corner of Spain after nine political leaders fighting for the region’s independence were given long jail terms, from nine to 13 years.
Furious locals were on the streets protesting within minutes, blocking traffic and waving flags.
Thousands of students joined the outcry after Spain’s Supreme Court jailed nine separatist leaders for sedition and misuse of public funds following a failed bid for independence in 2017.
Barcelona ace Ivan Rakitic was among the travellers forced to leave the airport on foot.
Last year Catalonia’s separatist leaders opened the region’s polling stations on October 1 for what the national government had branded an “illegal” independence vote.
Spanish cops fired rubber bullets and beat people with batons as they tried to disperse crowds gathering to vote.
The regional government said voting took place in 73 per cent of approximately 6,000 polling stations. Over 900 people and 33 police officers were injured during the clashes.
The referendum ballot asked Catalans to answer yes or no to a single question: “Do you want Catalonia to become an independent state in the form of a republic?”
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Despite the government crackdown, 42 per cent of the electorate in the region came out to vote – and 90 per cent of voters backed independence.
But Spain refused to recognise the motion’s validity and imposed direct rule on Catalonia.
They also called for a fresh regional election for December 21, after the former separatist leaders had exiled themselves – including ousted leader Carles Puigdemont.
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