- Title: Pro-independence protests erupt near Barcelona stadium before "El Clasico"
- Date: 18th December 2019
- Summary: BARCELONA, SPAIN (DECEMBER 18, 2019) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF PROTESTERS GATHERED NEAR CAMP NOU PROTESTERS HOLDING UP BANNERS READING (English): "DEMOCRACY IN SPAIN? EUROPE OPEN YOUR EYES" (NIGHT SHOTS) BARCELONA, SPAIN (DECEMBER 18, 2019) (REUTERS) PROTESTERS GATHERED NEAR CAMP NOU VARIOUS OF PROTESTERS MARCHING HOLDING UP LETTERS READING (English, Catalan): "FREEDOM" PROTESTERS HOLDING UP SIGNS READING (English): "SPAIN SIT AND TALK!" VARIOUS OF PROTESTERS WAVING CATALAN PRO-INDEPENDENCE "ESTELADA" FLAGS (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) PROTESTER, MANUEL BEATO, SAYING: "I am not a football fan, I am simply here to show my support in these things and with what is happening in this country, that I consider a democratic country would not be using these systems." PROTESTERS (SOUNDBITE) (English) PROTESTER FROM NETHERLAND LIVING IN BARCELONA FOR 14 YEARS, REITSE, SAYING: "I am asking that Europe is listening to the voice of the Catalan people and it is true that there are also Catalan people that are for Spain but I think at least that the people who want to separate from Spain to build up their own country, to give them the chance that they deserve." PROTESTERS MARCHING TOWARDS CAMP NOU
- Embargoed: 1st January 2020 19:18
- Keywords: Barca Clasico Police Protest Real Madrid Security
- Location: BARCELONA, SPAIN
- City: BARCELONA, SPAIN
- Country: Spain
- Topics: Soccer,Sport
- Reuters ID: LVA001BAI7EPZ
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Chanting "Independence" and "Free political prisoners", several thousand Catalan protesters gathered near Barcelona's Nou Camp stadium on Wednesday (December 18) before the local side was to face rivals Real Madrid in Spain's most high-profile match.
Many protesters carried banners that read "Spain, sit and talk" and the secretive Catalan protest group Democratic Tsunami said on Twitter it would distribute 100,000 of those banners to the people attending the game. It also told them to bring inflatable balls and to write on them a "message for the world".
The La Liga game, known as "El Clasico," had initially been scheduled to occur two months ago. However, it was postponed on security concerns due to unrest in the wealthy northeastern region after Spain's Supreme Court in October sentenced nine Catalan separatist leaders to up to 13 years in prison.
(Production: Marco Trujillo, Jordi Rubio, Miguel Pereira, Luis Felipe Fernandez) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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