'We are all Cambrils': Thousands march against terror in Spain resort

Thousands of people marched against terror Friday in Cambrils, a Spanish seaside resort that was the scene of a deadly vehicle attack last week just hours after a van ploughed into crowds in Barcelona.

Shouting "no tinc por", which means "not afraid" in Catalan, marchers walked along the seafront early Friday evening, led by Barcelona Mayor Ada Colau and other political leaders, including Spanish Socialist party chief Pedro Sanchez.

The defiant crowd also shouted "We are all Cambrils."

Police said some 16,000 people attended the march, which took place just a day before a mass demonstration for peace is planned in Barcelona on Saturday afternoon.

Like Cambrils, the popular Mediterranean city is in mourning after a van rammed into a crowd of pedestrians on the busy Las Ramblas boulevard on August 17.

Hours later, a car sped into Cambrils some 120 kilometres (75 miles) south, hitting people before crashing into a police vehicle.

The five occupants of the Audi A3 jumped out and went on a stabbing spree, killing a woman, before they were shot dead by police.

Fifteen people died and more than 120 were injured in the twin attacks.

Marchers shouted "Mossos, Mossos!" -- a reference to the Mossos d'Esquadra police force in Catalonia, the northeastern Spanish region where the twin attacks took place.

This regional police force has been widely praised for its quick response to the attacks and efficient probe that saw the terror cell behind the carnage rapidly dismantled, with suspects either killed or detained.