Catalans inundate Barcelona to demand leaders’ freedom

BARCELONA (AFP) – Hundreds of thousands of Catalans marched Saturday to demand the release of regional officials jailed for their push for independence from Spain, which has left the country mired in a political crisis. The more than two-hour long protest in Barcelona, the Catalan capital, came a day after the region’s parliament speaker – one of dozens of lawmakers sacked by Madrid last month – was released from jail after posting 150,000 euros ($175,000) bail. The demonstrators gathered on an avenue next to the regional parliament building waving Catalan independence flags and chanting “Freedom!’’ while some held up banners announcing: “SOS Democracy.’’ Children in riding helmets climbed castells – the region’s traditional human towers – as others held placards bearing caricatures of some jailed lawmakers. Barcelona municipal police put turnout for the march at some 750,000 people as crowds stretched for more than 15 blocks along the boulevard.