Barcelona (AFP)
For the sixth consecutive night, a demonstration in favor of imprisoned rapper Pablo Hasél was held in Barcelona on Sunday, but it took place in calm, unlike previous ones which had degenerated into riots.
To cries of "Freedom for Pablo Hasél" hundreds of people gathered in front of the station of Sants, strongly guarded by the riot troops of the Catalan police, the Mossos d'Esquadra, according to images of AFPTV.
The demonstrators then marched towards the center of the Catalan capital, where they intended to continue the demonstration in the evening.
Sunday's protest looked like fewer people than the ones that have taken place every night since the rapper was jailed.
Since Tuesday, the streets of Spain's second city have been the scene of violent clashes between demonstrators and police, with barricades, bins set on fire and destruction.
In total, since the protests began on Tuesday, 95 people have been arrested across Catalonia, according to the authorities.
Pablo Hasél, 32, was sentenced to nine months in prison for apologizing for terrorism, for having in a tweet called King Juan Carlos I a "mafia", praised people involved in attacks and accused the police of 'killing and torturing migrants and protesters.
His arrest revived the debate on freedom of expression in Spain and reinforced the differences within the government coalition, between the Socialists of President Pedro Sanchez and the Podemos party (radical left), which supports the demonstrations.
© 2021 AFP