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Barcelona Mayor Pleads for Violence in Catalonia to Stop

Associated Press

   BARCELONA, SPAIN - The mayor of riot-stricken Barcelona pleaded
   Saturday for calm after violent protests by Catalan separatists rocked
   Spain's second largest city for a fifth consecutive night.

   "This cannot continue. Barcelona does not deserve it," Mayor Ada Colau
   told reporters, adding that Friday's violence was the worst so far.

   Protesters clashed with police again later Saturday despite efforts by
   some citizens to mediate by gathering between the two sides. There was
   also a skirmish between separatist supporters and police in a square in
   Spain's capital, Madrid. Authorities are bracing for more protests in
   the coming days.

   Supreme Court verdict

   Radical separatists have fought with police every night in Barcelona
   and other Catalan cities following huge peaceful protests by people
   angered by Monday's Supreme Court verdict that sentenced nine
   separatist leaders to prison for their roles in a failed 2017 secession
   attempt.

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