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Terrorism

Half a million at Barcelona march

August 26, 2017

Spanish King Felipe VI joined hundreds of thousands of demonstrators in a rally against violence in Barcelona on Saturday. The demonstrators marched to the Placa de Catalunya, the site of the August 17 attack.

https://p.dw.com/p/2ituQ
Barcelona anti-terror march
Image: Reuters/A. Gea

Half a million people turned up to an anti-terror march through Barcelona, according to local police.

Chanting "No tinc por" and "No tenim por" ("I am/we're not afraid" in Catalan), the marchers carried red, yellow and white flowers - the colors of Barcelona - as they made their way along the city's main boulevard, the Paseo de Gracia, to the Plaza de Catalunya, where a van plowed into pedestrians on August 17, killing 13 people. Another 120 people were injured, 22 of whom are still being treated.

The march was led by shopkeepers and residents of the city's famous Las Ramblas boulevard, where the attack took place. Emergency workers, taxi drivers, police and firefighters, who helped immediately after the deadly attacks, also took part.

Read more: Terror attack leaves Barcelona and Madrid at odds, as ever

Royal support

In a first for a Spanish head of state, King Felipe VI joined the demonstration, marching alongside Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy and the head of Catalonia's regional government, Carles Puigdemont.

King Felipe IV, Mariano Rajoy at Barcelona march
King Felipe IV and Mariano Rajoy in a show of unityImage: Getty Images/AFP/L. Gene

Earlier, Barcelona's council had tweeted that Barcelona is a "peaceful city where people coexist in harmony."

Of the 12 suspects in the deadly attacks in Barcelona, Cambrils and Alcanar, two were freed last week due to a lack of evidence against them, eight have been confirmed dead and two remain in custody on charges of murder.

Demonstrators, poster saying We want peace, not arms sales
Some protesters want arms sales stopped to curb terrorismImage: Getty Images/D. Ramos

The "Islamic State" (IS) has claimed all three attacks, which claimed one victim in Cambrils and Alcanar respectively as well as the 13 people in Barcelona.

ng/rc (AP, Reuters, AFP)