Kingdom of Spain Police forces: Supporters of Catalan independence or referendum Government of Catalonia Pedro SánchezCarmen Calvo PoyatoCarlos LesmesMargarita RoblesFernando Grande-MarlaskaFrancisco PardoMaría José SegarraDolores DelgadoJosep BorrellArancha González Laya Quim TorraMiquel Buch The sentencing of nine Catalan independence leaders in a 2019 trial by the Supreme Court of Spain triggered protests in Catalonia.

[6][7][8][9][10] Protests against the sentencing of the Catalan independence leaders began on 14 October at Barcelona-El Prat Airport just hours after the Spanish Supreme Court announced its verdict.

The Catalan Law Enforcement agency Mossos d'Esquadra, which had previously been accused of aiding the independence movement, replied by firing tear gas at the demonstrators.

[15] Shortly thereafter, the Catalan President attempted to rally the crowd by stating that he would push for a new independence referendum as large scale protests continued for the fourth day.

[16] On 18 October, Barcelona became paralyzed, as tens of thousands of peaceful protesters answered the Catalan President's call and rallied in support of the jailed independence leaders.

[1] By late 18 October, minor trade unions (Intersindical-CSC and Intersindical Alternativa de Catalunya [ca]) linked to pro-independence movement called for a general strike.

Clashes nevertheless took place, with masked protesters confronting riot police by throwing stones and setting rubbish bins alight.

[20] The El Clásico football match between FC Barcelona and Real Madrid CF was postponed due to the strike.

Withdrawn to the vicinity of the Plaça Urquinaona, protesters erected barricades setting trash bins in fire and hurled rubble (shattered from the pavement) and other solid objects at riot policemen.

[23] The clashes spread to cities outside Barcelona, with Spain's acting interior minister stating that 207 policemen had been injured since the start of the protests, while also noting that 128 people had been arrested by the nation's police forces.

[2] A Spanish judge ordered the closure of an influential, but secretive Catalan protest group dubbed Democratic Tsunami.

[5] Despite the pleas of the Catalan leaders for the demonstrations to remain peaceful, violence once again erupted by nightfall, leading to clashes between protesters and police forces for the sixth night in a row.

[25] Despite the fact that demonstrations had been taking place on a daily basis, the protests were reinvigorated again on 26 October, after Assemblea Nacional Catalana and Òmnium Cultural, two organizations whose former leaders had been jailed for sedition following the trial, called for a march at 5pm local time.