A burned-out police van, garbage cans aflame, looted banks: Eleven days after the arrest of the left-wing rapper Pablo Hasel, protests continue to rock Barcelona and a new rally on Saturday night spiralled into violent clashes with police.
Spain has been gripped by angry demonstrations since the rapper was jailed for nine months on charges of "glorifying terrorist attacks and insulting the monarchy" in his lyrics and tweets, one of which likened former Spanish king Juan Carlos I to a mafia boss.
Since his jailing, protesters have taken to to the streets of major Spanish cities, with the demonstrations broadening to include other social issues like unemployment and increasing rental costs.
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Catalan police said at least 10 people were arrested, one of whom was 'involved in the burning of the van.' /Josep Lago/AFP
On Saturday, several hundred people rallied in Barcelona, the capital of Hasel's home region of Catalonia, gathering around the slogan of the actions: "Fight, create popular power."
"Who am I to judge what he puts in his words?" asked one protester at the demonstration, 36-year-old doctor Barbar Salazar. "But for them to condemn him for that seems to me an attack on freedom of expression."
"Pablo's case just reveals that we live in a fascist state... that we have to fight, and that it is a violation of fundamental rights," added 26-year-old demonstrator Adria.
Rapper Pablo Hasel was jailed for nine months on charges of 'glorifying terrorist attacks and insulting the monarchy.' /Nacho Doce/Reuters
The rally turned to rioting in the early evening, with protesters breaking windows, tagging facades, and ransacking bank branches, one of which was set on fire. One activist, equipped with a Molotov cocktail, managed to set a police van alight.
At least 10 people were arrested during the clashes, the Catalan police said on Twitter, one of whom was allegedly "involved in the burning of the van."
Spain's prime minister Pedro Sanchez condemned "the acts of vandalism and violence that Barcelona is suffering tonight" as "unacceptable," giving all his "support" to the police.
Since mid-February, more than 110 demonstrators have been arrested in the northeastern region of Spain, according to the police.
Spain's prime minister Pedro Sanchez has condemned 'the acts of vandalism and violence.' /Paul Barrena/AFP
Hasel's arrest took place at the University of Lleida, where he and his supporters had barricaded themselves in the building to prevent his capture. His detention quickly led to protests in several other Spanish cities including Madrid, Valencia and Granada.
In Barcelona, where the demonstrations are most pronounced, protests are happening almost daily – in part, a reaction to the city having the EU's worst youth unemployment rate at 40.2 percent.
The rapper's jailing has also reopened a debate on freedom of expression in Spain and exacerbated the differences within the governing coalition between President Pedro Sanchez's socialists and the Podemos party which has supported the demonstrations.
Video editing: Terry Wilson