Four People Detained On 4th Day Of Riots In Catalonia Sparked By Rapper's Imprisonment

MADRID (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 20th February, 2021) Four people have been detained during the fourth day of riots in Spain caused by the imprisonment of rapper Pablo Hasel, Catalan law enforcement bodies said.

Two people were detained on late Friday in Barcelona and two more in Girona, Mossos de Escuadra wrote on Twitter. In these two cities, the protesters overturned trash cans, built barricades, set them on fire, broke shop windows, looted shops as well as threw various objects at law enforcement officers, while the latter resorted to batons.

The unrest has also left at least six people injured, according to the Catalan emergency services.

The Catalan singer was sentenced in 2018 to nine months in prison for glorifying terrorism and slandering the Spanish monarchy on Twitter and through the lyrics of his songs. Hasel was supposed to voluntarily come to prison last Friday but he refused to do so. On Tuesday, the rapper was arrested.

The rapper's jailing caused a public outcry and debates about the freedom of speech. Hundreds of artists, including Javier Bardem and Pedro Almodovar, signed a petition against the imprisonment.