One of the most significant confrontations of the Barcelona world - Real Madrid for the first time in 17 years ended in a goalless draw and attracted attention not so much with the course of the match as with the near-football events that were unfolding at the stadium and beyond. Throughout the meeting, mass protests took place in the stands and on the streets near Camp Nou, which at times turned into serious skirmishes.
The tension around the match of the 10th round Examples began to build up at the end of October. Then it became known that the meeting would not take place on the appointed day in connection with rallies in support of the independence of Catalonia, which took place throughout the region. This decision caused a lot of controversy; proposals were put forward not only to move el-clasico to a later date, but to even hold it in Madrid. In mid-November, the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) announced the final date, but serious incidents could not be avoided.
On the eve of the game, one of the Catalan social movements, the Democratic Tsunami, announced on social networks its intention to use the football confrontation broadcast around the world to demonstrate its position. At the same time, his representatives emphasized that their goal is not to disrupt El Classico.
As a result, leaflets and other paraphernalia were handed out at the entrance to the stadium, and the stewards had to confiscate cardboard masks from the fans with the image of the main Barcelona star Lionel Messi, which supposedly could be used to hide the faces of the protesters.
Immediately after the starting whistle in the stands, blue signs began to appear with the inscriptions “Spain, sit down and talk,” “Freedom,” “Rights,” and “Right to self-determination,” as well as banners calling for the release of political prisoners. Among the latter, supporters of the independence of Catalonia include a number of deputies accused by Madrid of holding a referendum on October 1, 2017 for secession of the region, which the Spanish authorities consider illegal.
At the beginning of the second half, the protesters intervened in the course of the match. They began to throw children's balls on the field, according to the statement of the protesters themselves, symbolizing the rubber bullets used by the police. The chief referee had to interrupt the meeting for several minutes, until all excess items were removed from the lawn.
Apart from this incident, the derby itself was not marked by serious unrest, which cannot be said about what was happening on the streets of Barcelona. Four hours before the starting whistle around the Camp Nou, the first skirmishes with the police began to occur, and some protesters fought among themselves.
More than 3 thousand law enforcement officers were involved in ensuring order, but the number of protesters significantly exceeded them. Spanish media reported about 5 thousand protesters.
After the start of the match, the first barricades of broken road signs and garbage cans began to be erected in areas adjacent to the stadium. When police cars drove up to one of them, a barrage was lit. Participants in the protest rallied cars in balaclavas and bombarded law enforcement officers with banks, bottles, and other items. To stabilize the situation, the police had to use tear gas and rubber batons.
- Protests in Barcelona
- © Pau Barrena / AFP
In order to ensure security, law enforcement officers were forced to block the southern exits from the stadium, where the greatest number of skirmishes took place. By night, the riots came to naught, but their result was disappointing. According to Marca, a total of about 60 people were injured in the protests, most of whom refused to be hospitalized. Among law enforcement officers, 53 were injured. The police reported five detainees.
A substantial portion of Barcelona fans who did not participate in the protest supported the protesters. However, some expressed the view that politics cannot be separated from football.
“In my time they said that they are separately, but today it’s necessary to put up with this. We have been convinced of this for many years. I doubt that it will be possible to change the situation in the near future and play football calmly, ”Danish Henrik Nerrelund of Denmark quotes the Associated Press, who first came to Spain to support his beloved team at the stadium.