It seems like the known movie”The Purge” is actually happening in the streets of Barcelona, and no, it’s not for halloween. The streets of the Spanish city seeking independence, have known a chaotic situation since Tuesday night.
Violent actions took place after the sentencing of ex- Catalan leaders, who were part of the pro-independence government that organized the referendum in 2017. The citizens took their anger to the streets of the city, and caused major flight delays, and blocked the main roads of the region.
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The After-math of The 2017 Referundum
In 2017, Carles Puigdemont and his government organized a pro-independence referendum, in order to exist Spain. However, the Spanish government intervened, as it was ”unconstitutional” to organize such movement.
Catalans who went to vote were faced with clashes with the police, which some got quite violent. The referendum’s results were in favor of the separation, but were annuled by the Spanish government.
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Spanish Supreme-court Jails the ex-leaders of the Movement
On Tuesday morning, Spanish supreme-court announced the jailing of 9 of the movement leaders. While the sentences varied between 7 years and 13 years, the pro-independence citizens refused to accept them.
Since the announcement, people took the streets to express their anger. Madrid on the other hand, sent extra riot police to Barcelona in order to prevent chaos.
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Protestors Blocked the Entrance to The City
In addition to thousands of protestors in the city center, many took the initiative of blocking the roads and main entrances to Barcelona. At least 100 flights were canceled on Tuesday, as well as a huge interruption of the city’s railway and highways.
The airport was also filled with people waving their Catalunya flags, and clashing with the police. Visitors were told to remain inside the airport for few hours, until the situation calms down a bit.
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Barcelona’s Streets Are on Fire
According to the protestors and current leading government of Catalunya, the supreme-court’s decision will just strengthen the movement. Although the Spanish prime minister tried to promote dialogue between the region and the central government, it seems that the violence will continue until reaching an agreement.
The streets of Barcelona have been in flames since last night, and footage of the actions released on social media frightened the world. Some have actually compared what’s happening to the movie ”The Purge”, due to the similarity of events.
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Photos: Instagram