Catalonian march protests separatists

BARCELONA, Spain — Tens of thousands of people marched in Barcelona on Sunday to protest the separatist movement in the northeastern Catalonia region that has created Spain’s worst political crisis in decades.

Barcelona’s police said 80,000 people rallied, with many carrying Spanish and Catalan flags. One poster read in English: “We are Catalonians too, stop this madness!!”

The rally in favor of Spanish unity comes after several days of protests — some of which spiraled into violent clashes with police — by Catalan separatists. The separatist protests were in response to a Supreme Court ruling that gave nine separatist leaders lengthy prison sentences for an illegal and unsuccessful 2017 secession attempt.

While separatists have organized marches in recent years as their drive gained steam, Catalans in favor of maintaining century-old ties with the rest of Spain have largely remained quiet except for an rally two years ago during the tensest moments of the separatists’ secession bid.

On Saturday, a rally of 350,000 separatists in Barcelona was followed by a clash between police and radical protesters that left 44 people injured, according to regional health authorities. Over 500 people have been hurt, nearly half of them police officers, in clashes since the Oct. 14 Supreme Court verdict.

The Catalan crisis is set to be a key issue in Spain’s Nov. 10 national election, where Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez will try to stay in power.