| Students protest near University square after a verdict in a trial over a banned Catalonia’s independence referendum |
Police in Catalonia have detained 97 protesters since unrest broke out on Monday sparked by the sentencing of separatist leaders, Spain’s acting Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska said on Thursday, saying there will be “no impunity”.
Speaking at a news conference after a government meeting on the situation, Grande-Marlaska said the Catalan regional government leadership had to more clearly condemn the violence after protesters set cars on fire and threw petrol bombs at police in Barcelona on Wednesday night, intensifying unrest.
He added that the government would put in place all necessary measures to guarantee security in Catalonia. Earlier, he said Madrid would send more police to Catalonia both to guarantee security and to allow police already there to rest.