Protests in Barcelona, Spain have entered a sixth night and the number of people arrested has topped 100 after Hasel was taken to prison for criticizing the country's royal family.
- February 23, 2021
AceShowbiz - Protests have continued for a sixth night in Barcelona, Spain, following the arrest of rapper Pablo Hasel.
The musician, real name Pablo Rivadulla Duro, was sentenced in 2018 to nine months behind bars after being found guilty of glorifying terrorism and insulting his country's royal family when he called former king Juan Carlos a mafia boss.
He was given 10 days to voluntarily report to prison, but after that period expired he barricaded himself inside the University of Lleida alongside 50 of his supporters, telling his fans on Twitter that he was resisting an arrest in a bid to highlight his campaign for freedom of speech. Police eventually managed to get into the building, and transported Hasel to prison - with the rapper shouting "You will never defeat us! You will never overcome us, we will resist until we are victorious" as he was put into a police car.
Following his arrest, protests began - initially peacefully - before people began clashing with police. On Sunday night (21Feb21), protesters began the evening by painting a mural criticising Spain's King Felipe VI and his father Juan Carlos.
However, things turned violent when protesters dressed in dark clothes marched towards the National Police headquarters, throwing rocks, bottles, firecrackers and even a wheelie bin at police officers.
After 30 minutes, the Catalan police, supported by vans, moved in to clear the area.
Following Sunday's protests, seven people were arrested - meaning that the number of people arrested in protests since Hasel's jailing has now topped 100.
