- Title: Real Madrid and Barca arrive at the Camp Nou escorted by police
- Date: 18th December 2019
- Summary: BARCELONA, SPAIN (DECEMBER 18, 2019) (REUTERS) BARCA FORWARD ANTOINE GRIEZMANN AND DEFENDER SAMUEL UMTITI, MIDFIELDER IVAN RAKITIC, GOALKEEPER ANDRE TER STEGEN AND DEFENDER GERARD PIQUE GETTING INTO BUS AS PROTESTERS CHANT IN CATALAN "FREEDOM FOR POLITICAL PRISONERS" CATALAN PRO-INDEPENDENCE PROTESTERS OUT SIDE THE HOTEL WHERE BARCA AND REAL MADRID PLAYERS CONCENTRATE CHANTING IN CATALAN "FREEDOM FOR POLITICAL PRISONERS" FORWARDS LIONEL MESSI, LUIS SUAREZ AND MIDFIELDER ARTURO VIDAL GETTING INTO THE BUS MIDFIELDER SERGIO BUSQUETS GETTING INTO THE BUS BARCA'S BUS ESCORTED BY POLICE PROTESTERS BARCA'S BUS LEAVING FOR CAMP NOU BARCA'S BUS ARRIVING AT CAMP NOU MESSI AND SUAREZ LEAVING THE BUS BARCA'S BUS PARKED AT CAMP NOU FULL BACK JORDI ALBA, VIDAL, RAKITIC AND UMTITI LEAVING BUS REAL MADRID PLAYERS INCLUDING STRIKER KARIM BENZEMA, MIDFIELDERS TONI KROOS, CASEMIRO, LUKA MODRIC AND FORWARD GARETH BALE GETTING INTO BUS VARIOUS OF REAL MADRID BUS LEAVING FOR CAMP NOU PROTESTERS OUTSIDE BARCA'S AND REAL MADRID HOTEL REAL MADRID BUS ARRIVING AT CAMP NOU REAL MADRID PLAYERS LEAVING THE BUS FULL BACKS DANIEL CARVAJAL AND NACHO AND PLAYMAKER ISCO ALARCON LEAVING BUS FORWARD GARETH BALE LEAVING BUS REAL MADRID COACH ZINEDINE ZIDANE LEAVING BUS CATALAN PRO-INDEPENDENCE SUPPORTERS PROTESTING OUTSIDE CAMP NOU, WAVING PRO-INDPENDENCE "ESTELADA" FLAGS AND HOLDING SIGN READING IN CATALAN "FREEDOM" PROTESTERS HOLDING BIG "ESTELADA" FLAG PROTESTERS AND PEOPLE ATTENDING THE MATCH OUT SIDE CAMP NOU
- Embargoed: 1st January 2020 17:49
- Keywords: Barca Clasico Police Protest Real Madrid Security
- Location: BARCELONA, SPAIN
- City: BARCELONA, SPAIN
- Country: Spain
- Topics: Soccer,Sport
- Reuters ID: LVA001BAI7DXJ
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Real Madrid and FC Barcelona players left their hotel and arrived at Barcelona's Camp Nou stadium on Wednesday (December 18) as several thousand Catalan pro-independence protesters gathered near the stadium hours before the local side was to face rivals Real Madrid in Spain's most high-profile match - "El Clasico".
Despite a heavy police presence, some protesters blocked a major avenue near the stadium, disrupting traffic.
Both teams arrived to the stadium without any incident.
Wednesday's protest was called by secretive Catalan protest group Democratic Tsunami, which says it favours peaceful civic disobedience and whose main goals are to get Spain to negotiate on Catalonia's right to self-determination and to achieve freedom for the jailed separatists.
Many protesters carried banners that read "Spain, sit and talk" and the organisation 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 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.
Barca lead the standings after 16 games but are locked on 35 points with second-placed Real.
(Production: Juan Medina, Sergio Perez, Jordi Rubio, Marco Trujillo, Miguel Pereira, Julien Hennequin, Luis Felipe Fernandez, May Ponzo, Silvio Castellanos) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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