Protesters disrupt roads, trains in Catalonia

Pro-independence protesters blocked roads and stopped commuter trains Wednesday in Spain’s northeastern region of Catalonia as part of a general strike to protest the jailing of ousted Catalan government officials and secessionist activists.

Many of the blockades were on roads leading to major Catalan cities, including the regional capital Barcelona, and major highways, the Catalan Transit Service said. Disruptions affected more than 60 sections of road and highway throughout the morning, it said.

National railway operator Renfe said services were halted on dozens of local lines as protesters blocked railway lines. Several national high-speed lines were also affected. In northern Girona, several protesters pushed past police controls to enter the city’s main railway station.

Intersindical CSC, a platform of pro-independence workers’ unions, had called the strike for labour issues. But separatist parties and civil society groups asked workers to join the stoppage to protest the Spanish government’s moves against the Catalan bid for independence.

The strike wasn’t backed by Spain’s two main unions and wasn’t reported to be having any major effect on industry or in the region’s prized tourism sector.

At mid-day, several thousand pro-independence protesters packed a central square in Barcelona, waving separatist flags and chanting “Freedom” for the 10 people in custody in a judicial probe into rebellion and sedition in the days before and after Catalonia’s parliament ignored Spanish court rulings and declared independence Oct. 27.

Agusti Alcoberro, the vicepresident of the grassroots Catalan National Assembly told the crowd the arrests were “an attack on democracy and a humiliation” of Catalan people.

Spanish authorities took the unprecedented step of seizing control of Catalonia, one of Spain’s 17 autonomous regions, after a majority of regional lawmakers there ignored constitutional Court orders and passed an independence declaration on Oct. 27.