- Title: Catalan separatist protesters block motorway on French-Spanish border
- Date: 18th October 2019
- Summary: LA JONQUERA, SPAIN (NEAR FRENCH-SPANISH BORDER) (OCTOBER 18, 2019) (REUTERS) ***WARNING: CONTAINS PROFANITY*** VARIOUS OF CATALAN SEPARATIST PROTESTERS BLOCKING AP-7 MOTORWAY CATALAN SEPARATIST FLAG KNOW AS THE "ESTELADA" ON GROUND PROTESTERS ON MOTORWAY VARIOUS OF BLOCKADE ON MOTORWAY MADE OUT OF TREE BRANCHES ESTELADA FLAG FLYING PROTESTERS BLOCKING MOTORWAY ROAD SIGN FOR AP-7 MOTORWAY WITH TWO PROTESTERS WALKING BY LE PERTHUS, FRANCE (NEAR FRENCH-SPANISH BORDER) (OCTOBER 18, 2019) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF QUEUES OF LORRIES BLOCKED ON MOTORWAY WAITING TO ENTER INTO SPAIN STRANDED LORRY DRIVERS / CATALAN POLICE KNOWN AS "MOSSOS D'ESQUADRA" BLOCKING MOTORWAY BECAUSE OF PROTESTERS (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) 55-YEAR-OLD SPANISH LORRY DRIVER, PACO, SAYING: "It's a fucking disgrace what's happening in Catalonia because it's always us, lorry drivers, who pay for it in the end because we are the ones who need to travel there and get impacted. And it can't go on, they (the police) should let us into Spain into a parking lot so we can rest because we have driven all night without stopping, and now they're leaving us here all damn day without any rest. They should let us into Spain at least. It's a huge disgrace what's happening here - the police, everyone, they're all a disgrace." PACO AND OTHER LORRY DRIVERS WAITING MOSSOS D'ESQUADRA POLICE BLOCKING MOTORWAY INTO SPAIN LORRIES QUEUING
- Embargoed: 1st November 2019 11:38
- Keywords: Spain France Catalonia jailed separatist leaders pro-independence protests Franco-Spanish border
- Location: LE PERTHUS, FRANCE / LA JONQUERA, SPAIN
- City: LE PERTHUS, FRANCE / LA JONQUERA, SPAIN
- Country: France
- Topics: Conflicts/War/Peace,Civil Unrest
- Reuters ID: LVA001B1MKOQV
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: PLEASE NOTE: THIS EDIT CONTAINS PROFANITY IN SOUNDBITE
A group of 200 Catalan separatist protesters blocked a motorway on the Franco-Spanish border on Friday (October 18), as hundreds of thousands of demonstrators waving pro-independence flags and chanting "freedom for political prisoners" joined marches across Catalonia.
Friday marked the fifth day of protests against the jailing of nine separatist leaders over a failed bid to break away from Spain in 2017.
Catalan police shut down the motorway between France and Spain as protesters spread out for about a kilometre along the road causing long queues of lorries waiting to get across into Spain.
"They (the police) should let us into Spain into a parking lot so we can rest because we have driven all night without stopping, and now they're leaving us here all damn day without any rest," said 55-year-old Spanish lorry driver Paco.
Tensions between Madrid and Catalonia have been rising since Monday, when Spain's Supreme Court sentenced nine politicians and activists to up to 13 years in jail.
(Production: Pascale Antonie, Alexandre Minguez and Martin Esposito) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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