Spain PM holds emergency talks over violent Catalan protests

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez held emergency talks with opposition leaders on Wednesday about violent protests by separatists in Catalonia.

Scores of people have been hurt and dozens arrested in the past two nights of clashes between protesters and police in Barcelona and other Catalan cities.

Protesters are furious at the jailing of nine separatist leaders for their role in a failed 2017 independence bid that sparked a deep political crisis.

The convictions on Monday revived tensions in the wealthy northeastern region, split between Catalans loyal to Madrid and those who want it to break away from Spain.

In Barcelona on Tuesday night, police charged hundreds of masked demonstrators who threw projectiles at officers and set garbage bins and cardboard boxes on fire.

In a tweet, Sanchez said the government "firmly and resoundingly condemns the violence that seeks to break co-existence in Catalonia."
He said he would "convey the government's determination to guarantee security, with firmness, proportionality and unity."
It called on the separatist regional government to "take a step forward by breaking with the Spanish state."