WHAT are described as “emergency rallies” will be held in the centre of Glasgow and Edinburgh following the police raids and arrests in Catalonia.

The Radical Independence Campaign (RIC) is organising protests at the Buchanan Street steps in Glasgow this evening and outside the Spanish Consulate in Edinburgh at lunchtime.

A further protest is planned in Edinburgh for Monday, and again in the capital on October 1, the day of the Catalan independence referendum.

RIC tweeted pictures of Spanish civil police trying to make their way through a group of protesters to enter the headquarters of the pro-independence Catalan Unity Party (CUP) in the state capital, Barcelona.

“Spanish police are entering the offices of the @cupnacional who we have had speak at our conferences. Now we will stand with them!” read the tweet.

FC Barcelona tweeted a communique following events “that have transpired in recent days and, especially, today”.

The club said: “FC Barcelona, in remaining faithful to its historic commitment to the defense of the nation, to democracy, to freedom of speech, and to self-determination, condemns any act that may impede the free exercise of these rights.

“Therefore, FC Barcelona publicly expresses its support for all people, entities, and institutions that work to guarantee these rights.

“FC Barcelona, in holding the utmost respect for its diverse body of members, will continue to support the will of the majority of Catalan people, and will do so in a civil, peaceful, and exemplary way.”

RIC’s Jonathon Shafi said yesterday: “Everything ratcheted up this morning and we started to get calls from all over saying there needed to be an immediate response.

“So we’ve escalated that response as Madrid has escalated its actions in Catalonia.

“We’re also planning further rallies across Scotland this weekend in support of the Catalan cause, but we’ve still to confirm the details.”

This evening’s Glasgow rally will take place as Catalonia’s director of foreign relations, Marina Falco, prepares to address a discussion about Catalonia’s right to decide, which is being held in the city chambers.