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In Pictures: Catalan protesters march on Barcelona airport after jail verdicts for separatists

Spontaneous protests erupted across Catalonia on Monday demanding the release of separatist leaders after they were handed stiff sentences by a Spanish court. Thousands of angry protesters marched on Barcelona's El Prat airport, where ugly clashes broke out with police.

Published: 14 October 2019 17:23 CEST
In Pictures: Catalan protesters march on Barcelona airport after jail verdicts for separatists
People walk on the highway towards El Prat airport in Barcelona on October 14, 2019 as thousands of angry protesters took to the streets after Spain's Supreme Court sentenced nine Catalan separatist l

Earlier on Monday Spain's Supreme Court sentenced nine Catalan leaders to prison terms ranging from nine to 13 years for sedition and misuse of public funds for their role in a failed 2017 independence bid.

Within minutes of the ruling demonstrators had poured onto the streets of the Catalan capital, waving flags and blocking traffic over the conviction of the separatist leaders who organised a 2017 referendum banned by Madrid.

 “We have to mobilise and stick up for them … in a way that has an impact, closing airports, stations, but always avoiding violence,” Guich said. “Or at least, it won't be us that provokes it.”

Following the verdict demonstrations got underway in Barcelona, including one on the city's main thoroughfare the Via Laietana with protesters demanding the prisoners release.

Crowds also gathered at Plaça San Jaume, the seat of the Catalan government in Barcelona. There were also reports of protesters putting barricades across train tracks and roads.

“I feel fury and a sense of powerlessness,” said Joan Guich, a 19-year-old student protesting in Barcelona after Spain's Supreme Court jailed nine Catalan leaders jailed over a failed independence  bid.

“They have been convicted for an ideology which I agree with.”

Democratic Tsunami, a group advocating more active forms of civil disobedience, sent a message to its 150,000 members urging them to march on Barcelona airport, 15km from the city centre.

 “The time has come to make our voice felt around the world. The goal: stop the activity of Barcelona's airport,” it said.

Video images from the airport showed riot police clashing with protesters (see below) with reports of tear gas being fired inside the terminal.

Hundreds of passengers were caught up in the chaos, with many forced to walk along the highway with their luggage.

Metro and train access was briefly blocked and there were reports of numerous flights being cancelled. 

Passengers walk on the highway towards El Prat airport in Barcelona on October 14, 2019 as thousands of angry protesters took to the streets. AFP

 

 

 

AFP

 

AFP

 

 

A protester holds a Catalan pro-independence “Estelada” flag surrounded by other protesters at El Prat airport in Barcelona.AFP

 

Democratic Tsunami, a group advocating more active forms of civil disobedience, had urged demonstrators to hit the streets as soon as the verdicts were announced.

“Tomorrow everyone ready! When the verdict is out, the response will be immediate,” said the group in a message to its roughly 150,000 followers on mobile messaging service Telegram.

Juli Cuellar, a 44-year-old office worker, said he believed the verdict was politically motivated. 

“Now all we have left is a life of civil and institutional disobedience,” he told AFP, predicting “weeks of mobilisation”.

The Catalan National Assembly (ANC) and Omnium Cultural, the region's two biggest grassroots pro-independence groups, have also called supporters to attend an evening rally. They have organised some of the largest separatist protests in recent years.

Several more protests are scheduled over the next few days across Catalonia, as well as a general strike on Friday.

 

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BEACHES

Why are Barcelona’s beaches disappearing?

Barcelona's much-loved beaches are losing between six and 10 metres of sand per year, but why is this happening?

Published: 16 June 2021 15:30 CEST
Why are Barcelona's beaches disappearing?
Barceloneta Beach. Photo: Pau BARRENA / AFP

Barcelona may be famed for its beaches and they may be one of its biggest tourist draws, but it hasn’t always been this way.

In fact, Barcelona didn’t used to have any beaches at all, just ports and seaside neighbourhoods. It wasn’t until 1992 when the city held the Olympic Games that these neighbourhoods were demolished and the beaches were created. 

What’s the problem?

Since 2017, the city’s beaches have been losing between six and 10 metres of width per year, according to a recent study by the Área Metropolitana de Barcelona (AMB).

This beach erosion means that every year there is less and less sand for residents and tourists to lie on and enjoy. 

This is not a new problem however and has been going on much longer than four and half years. In 2016, the Barcelona City Council revealed that since 2010 Barceloneta Beach had lost over 15 metres in width, which is equivalent to 28 percent of its surface area.  

In another 2016 report, the regional authorities of Barcelona also showed that its beaches as a whole had lost 17 percent of their total amount of sand during the same time period, the same as five football pitches.

Why is it happening?

The study attributes this to the fact that there have been more storms than normal since 2017, which has prevented the natural recovery of the beaches.

Storm Gloria in January 2020 in particular caused significant damage to the beaches in the area and caused even more sand to be washed away.

In short, most of this is to do with climate change. 

The beaches that have been most affected and have lost the most amount of sand are those in the lower Maresme region and the towns of Masnou and Badalona.

Barcelona beaches being destroyed during a storm. Photo: JOSEP LAGO / AFP

What’s being done about it?

The Barcelona City Council has been continually adding a little sand to its beaches each year and moving it around from areas that have more to areas that have less.

Aitor Rumín, head of the beach management service of the Barcelona Consistory told El Pais last month that “the last major contribution of sand was made by the ministry in 2010. Since then we have only lost sand”.

“It’s survival, but we can’t do much more. The beaches lose 30 cubic meters of sand per year, especially in the southern parts of each of the beaches. The coastline is receding and we have beaches like Mar Bella, Nova Mar Bella and Llevant, where we can’t do anything to regain the sand,” he said.

Badalona Beach. Photo: JOSEP LAGO / AFP

While moving the sand around and adding a little each year may help to cover up the problem in the short term, it’s not really helping solve the problem and a long-term solution needs to be found.

The Área Metropolitana de Barcelona have been trying to stop the beach erosion with their Resilience Plan, which will ask for greater contributions of sand to try and balance out the current losses and divide the beaches up with breakwaters.

In the case of Badalona, it has been proposed that 13,200 cubic metres of sand be added to the beach each year, as well as to rethink the layout of the equipment located on the seafront. The construction of a breakwater on La Mora beach has also been proposed.

In Sant Adrià, the plan is to build another breakwater, as well as to remove the jetty in front of the old industrial areas. The council also hope to add a further 95,000 cubic metres of sand.

It is thought that similar plans may be carried out on Barcelona’s other beaches.

Is this a problem anywhere else in Spain?

Yes, beach erosion is a problem throughout Spain, as well as throughout the world, due to climate change.

Theocharis Plomaritis from the University of Cádiz who was one of the co-authors of the Nature Climate Change study published in March 2020, told El Periodico that by the end of the century the retreat of the beaches in Spain and Southern Europe could be 86 metres, if no measures are taken to contain climate change. 

According to the study, in the best case scenario – with measures to mitigate the effects of climate – the loss of sandy beaches in Spain would be 60 metres and 27 of these metres by 2050.

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