The lengthy prison sentences against Catalan pro-independence leaders have caused a huge wave of protests in Catalonia and solidarity messages have arrived from all over the world. The general strike on Friday was widely followed and saw thousands of participants in the Freedom Marches entering into Barcelona to join a massive and peaceful demonstration with more than half a million people, according to local police.

At the end of the rally, like in the previous days, Spanish police started heavy attacks on the protestors. They were helped by Catalan police. Although interior ministers and police authorities always talk about “adequate and proportionate operations”, the following videos from Friday clearly show brutal and arbitrary actions by Spanish police, often provoking incidents rather than containing them, and beating and shooting against peaceful protestors and journalists. Medical sources give the provisional figure of 289 injured people.

Video 1

How it all started: Spanish police enters a restaurant in Barcelona’s Via Laietana and arrests in this manner a 19-year-old who claims in an interview (in Catalan) that there was no reason for it.

Entren en un local privat per agafar-los, els apallissen, els humilien i s'hi acarnissen. Esta es la proporcionalidad de la Policia Nacional. https://t.co/fobqHyvUQb — P. J. Armengou Freixa ن (@pjarmengou) October 18, 2019

Video 2

How it all started: Spanish police charges against peaceful protestors in Via Laietana.

S'eleven a 10 el nombre de detinguts pels greus aldarulls a la Via Laietana i la plaça Urquinaona#SentènciaProcés #VagaGeneral18O https://t.co/WKgzhde6PZ pic.twitter.com/LmCuJBecRp — 324.cat (@324cat) October 18, 2019

Video 3

Spanish police driving at high speed in Via Laietana. A young boy (black sweater) is barely saved from being run over.

Video 4

In Girona, Spanish police beat and arrest an old man carrying a bucket full of water to put out a dumpster fire.

IMPORTANTÍSSIM: a GIRONA la @policia espanyola ha detingut un home gran que anava amb una galleda a apagar el foc d’un contenidor. En aquestes imatges es veu clarament. Es prega a totes les persones testimonis que m’envïin les dades per privat. pic.twitter.com/eXR0tt8AQV — Malcolm X (@perdutpeldesert) October 19, 2019

Video 5

One of many arrests in the streets of Barcelona.

Video 6

A peaceful protestor walks with a Catalan pro-independence flag in Girona and provokes this reaction from Spanish police.

És que és al·lucinant! pic.twitter.com/rL3feBQLlY — Josep Lluís Alay 🎗 (@josepalay) October 18, 2019

Video 7

Police throws tear gas from the rooftops.

BREAKING: The Spanish police launch tear gas from the rooftops. pic.twitter.com/lMY2tjfA87 — Catalans for Yes 🎗 (@CatalansForYes) October 18, 2019

Video 8

Spanish police beats and arrests a photojournalist from El País who was clearly accredited as press. Almost a hundred journalists have been injured during the protests.

Democràcia? Aquest és el moment de la detenció del fotoperiodista d'El País Albert Garcia a Plaça Urquinaona.pic.twitter.com/N1vtI1JyAQ — Llibertat.cat (@Llibertatcat) October 18, 2019

Video 9

Late in the night, Spanish olice officers keep beating (over the waistline) peaceful protestors who go home. A brave young girl challenges them.

Los agentes de @policia están actuando de manera totalmente descontrolada y movidos por la intencionalidad de castigar y humillar. Es necesario que @interiorgob actúe. Nosotras estamos a disposición de las personas agredidas para denunciar los hechos. pic.twitter.com/VViyWm30ec — IRIDIA (@centre_IRIDIA) October 18, 2019

Video 10

Like in Hong Kong, also late in the night Spanish police officers enter buses and go down into tube stations to beat and arrest protestors.