Catalonia president Quim Torra has called for talks with the Spanish government after a fifth consecutive night of violence in the streets of Barcelona, and other parts of the region, as anger over the jailing of Catalan separatist leaders continued.
Fires and violence broke out in the streets of Barcelona on Friday, as more than half a million pro-independence protesters gathered in the Catalan capital, the local police said.
Nine Catalan independence leaders have received lengthy prison sentences of between nine and 13 years for their part in a failed 2017 attempt to split from Spain, but were acquitted of the most serious charge against them.
When Hong Kong police fired tear gas at peaceful pro-democracy protesters in 2014, the news moved swiftly through social media. Photos and videos of mostly student demonstrators being gassed helped fuel the outrage that ultimately drove hundreds of thousands of people into the streets.
