By Jordi Rubio, Luis Felipe Castellija
BARCELONA (Reuters) - Protesters threw bottles, stones and rubbish containers at police in Barcelona on Sunday in a sixth night of clashes after a rapper was jailed for glorifying terrorism and insulting royalty in his songs.
The nine-month sentence of Pablo Hasel, known for his virulently anti-establishment raps, has prompted debate over freedom of expression in Spain and sparked protests that have at times turned violent.
“You have taught us that being peaceful is useless,” read a banner carried by protesters.
Five people were arrested for robbing shops and a police officer was injured, according to a Twitter post by the Mossos d’Esquadra, the Catalan regional police force.
About 1,000 demonstrators gathered in the city, local police said.
Protesters had looted shops on Saturday on Barcelona’s most prestigious shopping street, Passeig de Gracia, while also smashing windows in the Palau de la Musica concert hall
On Sunday, a lone man outside the concert hall shouted at protesters: “You don’t touch the Palau.”
Five nights of trashed shops and burned containers has caused 900,000 euros ($1.09 million) in damages in Barcelona, the city council said.
“Apart from the economic damage, we have suffered damage to the image of Barcelona as a welcoming and peaceful city,” Luis Sans, president of the Association of Friends of Passeig de Gracia, told El Pais newspaper.
More than 95 people have been arrested across Catalonia and in other Spanish cities since Hasel was arrested and jailed on Tuesday. One woman lost an eye during clashes in Barcelona, triggering calls from politicians to investigate police tactics.
Oscar-winning actor Javier Bardem was among artists, celebrities and politicians who called for a change in the law covering freedom of expression.
The Spanish government said last week it would scrap prison sentences for offences involving cases of freedom of speech.
They called for a change in anti-terrorism and gagging laws which they say unfairly limit people’s right to demonstrate their disapproval in the streets.
“We have been protesting for years and asking for these changes to gagging laws and now everyone is tearing their clothes or burning containers,” said Roc Blackclock, an artist.
Thirty-eight people were arrested in cities across Catalonia on Saturday after demonstrators smashed windows in Barcelona’s emblematic Palau de la Musica concert hall and looted shops on the city’s most prestigious shopping street, Passeig de Gracia.
“These graffiti transmit what society thinks, in favour of freedom of expression and against the freedom of destruction,” said Toni Marin, 52, a bank worker.
The Spanish government announced last week it would scrap prison sentences for offences involving cases of freedom of speech.
Senior members of the hard left Unidas Podemos party, the junior partners in Spain’s coalition government, voiced support for the protesters which critics took to mean tolerating the violence.
José Luis MartÃnez-Almeida, the conservative mayor of Madrid, blamed Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez for tolerating Podemos’ attitude to the violence. Sanchez condemned the violent protests on Friday.
Reporting by Graham Keeley, Elena Rodriguez, Nacho Doce, Luis Felipe Castilleja, Jordi Rubio; editing by Emelia Sithole-Matarise
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Protesters had looted shops on Saturday on Barcelona’s most prestigious shopping street, Passeig de Gracia, while also smashing windows in the Palau de la Musica concert hall
On Sunday, a lone man outside the concert hall shouted at protesters: “You don’t touch the Palau.”
Five nights of trashed shops and burned containers has caused 900,000 euros ($1.09 million) in damages in Barcelona, the city council said.
“Apart from the economic damage, we have suffered damage to the image of Barcelona as a welcoming and peaceful city,” Luis Sans, president of the Association of Friends of Passeig de Gracia, told El Pais newspaper.
More than 95 people have been arrested across Catalonia and in other Spanish cities since Hasel was arrested and jailed on Tuesday. One woman lost an eye during clashes in Barcelona, triggering calls from politicians to investigate police tactics.
Oscar-winning actor Javier Bardem was among artists, celebrities and politicians who called for a change in the law covering freedom of expression.
The Spanish government said last week it would scrap prison sentences for offences involving cases of freedom of speech.
Graffiti artists protest over jailed Spanish rapper
By Jordi Rubio, Luis Felipe Castilleja
BARCELONA (Reuters) - A colourful mural showing arrows through the heads of former Spanish king Juan Carlos and the late dictator General Francisco Franco was among images that graffiti artists painted on walls in Barcelona to protest on Sunday the jailing of a rapper for glorifying terrorism and insulting the monarchy in his songs.
The nine-month sentence imposed on Pablo Hasel, who is known for his fiercely anti-establishment raps, has sparked a debate over freedom of expression in Spain and demonstrations which descended, at times, into violence.
The artists’ peaceful demonstration contrasted with five nights of clashes in Spanish cities between protesters and police in which containers were burned, banks smashed up and projectiles thrown at residents.
By Jordi Rubio, Luis Felipe Castilleja
BARCELONA (Reuters) - A colourful mural showing arrows through the heads of former Spanish king Juan Carlos and the late dictator General Francisco Franco was among images that graffiti artists painted on walls in Barcelona to protest on Sunday the jailing of a rapper for glorifying terrorism and insulting the monarchy in his songs.
The nine-month sentence imposed on Pablo Hasel, who is known for his fiercely anti-establishment raps, has sparked a debate over freedom of expression in Spain and demonstrations which descended, at times, into violence.
The artists’ peaceful demonstration contrasted with five nights of clashes in Spanish cities between protesters and police in which containers were burned, banks smashed up and projectiles thrown at residents.
They called for a change in anti-terrorism and gagging laws which they say unfairly limit people’s right to demonstrate their disapproval in the streets.
“We have been protesting for years and asking for these changes to gagging laws and now everyone is tearing their clothes or burning containers,” said Roc Blackclock, an artist.
Thirty-eight people were arrested in cities across Catalonia on Saturday after demonstrators smashed windows in Barcelona’s emblematic Palau de la Musica concert hall and looted shops on the city’s most prestigious shopping street, Passeig de Gracia.
“These graffiti transmit what society thinks, in favour of freedom of expression and against the freedom of destruction,” said Toni Marin, 52, a bank worker.
The Spanish government announced last week it would scrap prison sentences for offences involving cases of freedom of speech.
Senior members of the hard left Unidas Podemos party, the junior partners in Spain’s coalition government, voiced support for the protesters which critics took to mean tolerating the violence.
José Luis MartÃnez-Almeida, the conservative mayor of Madrid, blamed Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez for tolerating Podemos’ attitude to the violence. Sanchez condemned the violent protests on Friday.
Reporting by Graham Keeley, Elena Rodriguez, Nacho Doce, Luis Felipe Castilleja, Jordi Rubio; editing by Emelia Sithole-Matarise
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