Thousands of students marched on Thursday morning in Barcelona to protest the Spanish Supreme Court's ruling to sentence several Catalan independence leaders to prison terms ranging from nine to 13 years, a Sputnik correspondent reported.
Following Monday's controversial ruling, Spain's semi-autonomous Catalonia region, as well as other cities throughout the country, have been consumed by violent protests. On Wednesday, nearly 100 people were injured in the protests.
According to Barcelona's municipal police, some 25,000 people, mostly minors, marched on Thursday, following a call sent out by the Student Union of Catalan Countries organization.
During the march, the protesters stopped in front of the National Police station to yell slogans and show their middle fingers to the institution.
"We want the people of the world to know that we do not agree with the Supreme Court's ruling, nor with what is going on following it," a 15-year-old protester named Emma said.
The protesters also came up to the headquarters of the Catalan government as part of their demonstration.
On 14 October, Spain's Supreme Court sentenced nine former officials to between 9 and 13 years in prison for their role in organising Catalonia's independence referendum in 2017. The court's verdict sparked mass protests in Barcelona, with dozens of participants reported injured in clashes with the police or arrested.
Catalonia has been seeking independence from Spain for decades. On 1 October 2017, the region had a referendum in which 90% of voters said 'yes' to independence. Madrid declared the referendum illegal and arrested some pro-independence leaders.