Violence breaks out in Catalonia following former separatist leaders' imprisonment

Numerous protesters in the Spanish region of Catalonia have clashed with police after the Supreme Court escalated legal action against separatists.

The Spanish Supreme Court ruled that 25 Catalan leaders had to appear before the court for rebellion, embezzlement, or disobedience to the State. Their eventual punishment meant they could spend up to 30 years in prison.

More than 20 people were injured as police used rubber sticks to keep protesters as far away from state buildings in Barcelona as possible during Friday and Saturday midnight. The demonstrations, however, extended to other parts of Catalonia.

In Madrid, a Supreme Court judge ordered the grip of five other Catalan leaders without having access to parole, pending their trial for involvement in the October month's illegal referendum on the independence of the highly wealthy northeast region.

One of those brought to trial was Jordi Turul, who was expected to be subject to voting in the Catalan Parliament this Saturday for the regional president. Several other high figures among the separatists appeared in court, or were able to leave the country living in an exotic life.

Friday night's myths were organised by a separatist group before the court's decisions were announced. But it was the decisions that further ignited protesters and irritability crowds who then clashed with police, with the latter being deployed for the protection of government buildings in Barcelona.

They carried the flags of Catalonia and issued calls and slogans of independence, while some even burned the portraits of the Supreme Court judges as well as of Spain's King Felipe. Tensions deteriorated in violence, when some of the protesters tried to break the police cordon.

Meanwhile, in parallel to the violent protest, a calmer rally occurred in Catalonia's main square. One of the participants there, Carmel Sala said there were over two million people who wanted to break away from Spain, “so they could put us all in jail”.

Catalan TVs showed images from other rallying in support of leaders imprisoned in various cities in the region, including the cities of Vic and Tarragona.

Among Friday's convicts were Jordi Turul, former Canadian government spokeswoman and the latest candidate for regional president; Josep Rull, former Catalan Development Minister; Carme Merddell, former head of the Catalan Parliament; Raul Romeva, former foreign policy chief in Catalonia; Dolors Bassa, former Labour Minister in the northeastern region.