World News – UA – Anti-lockdown protesters clash with police in Barcelona

Protesters fired missiles at police in the streets of central Barcelona after hundreds gathered to protest against new coronavirus restrictions, including a curfew and ban when leaving town during the holiday weekend

A spokesperson for the Mossos d’Esquadra regional police told AFP that nearly 700 demonstrators attended the rally which then turned violent when a group of around 50 people  » started throwing dangerous objects « at the police, prompting them to attempt to dismantle the police crowd

Images from Plaza Sant Jaume show dozens of protesters wearing face masks, many chanting ‘freedom’, throwing stones and crowd control barriers at police in full riot gear as the surrounding streets fills with smoke from burning barricades

Sirens blared throughout the city center as police sought to disperse protesters with batons and firefighters threw flames into several large garbage cans

Twenty policemen were injured in the clashes and twelve people were arrested, regional police said on Twitter

At least two establishments were looted in central Barcelona and several police vehicles damaged, he added

A protest in the town of Burgos, in northern Spain, also turned violent when protesters began throwing bottles and stones at police and setting down rubbish bins, local media reported

« What is happening in Burgos tonight only brings more pain and destruction Anger will not get us out of here, » tweeted Francisco Igea, vice president of the local government of Castilla y Leon

Despite the numerous restrictions imposed in Spain since July, when the number of cases started to rise again, infections escalated, with the virus killing more than 35,000 and infecting more than 1 million people

Bars and restaurants were closed in a new lockdown that sparked protests Josep Lago / AFP

Almost all parts of Spain have imposed border closures in hopes of avoiding another lockdown, but in Catalonia, where bars and restaurants have been closed since mid-October, authorities have imposed restrictions additional

Residents were barred from leaving towns over the weekend, with police checking drivers on main roads leading to Barcelona on Friday

Demonstration, coronavirus, Barcelona, ​​riot, lockdown