Barcelona - Dozens of flights at Barcelona's airport were
cancelled or delayed on Tuesday, as the fallout from massive protests
over the sentencing of nine Catalan leaders continued to be felt.
At least 45 flights had to be completely scrapped on Tuesday, and
many passengers had to spend the night at the airport after the
Monday night protests led to many flight connections falling through.
The situation in Barcelona was otherwise fairly quiet on Tuesday
morning, though train traffic was still partially affected.
Thousands of demonstrators had gathered at the airport in an attempt
to block access roads and bring all operations to a standstill after
Spain's supreme court sentenced nine separatist leaders to at least
nine years in prison over their roles in an independence referendum.
In protests at the airport and other parts of northern Spain, at
least 70 people were injured and three activists were arrested,
according to Spanish television reports. Clashes between police and
protesters, with police using foam bullets, were also reported.
The sentencing occurred more than two years after the October 2017
referendum on whether to declare Spain's north-eastern Catalonia
region, which includes the city of Barcelona, an independent state.
A Spanish court had declared the referendum illegal but it went ahead
anyway. Those accused included the region's former vice president,
Oriol Junqueras. He received the longest sentence of 13 years.