Dozens who have been arrested because the rapper sparks furious protests over freedom of speech in Spain over tweets

Madrid – Spanish police arrested nearly 50 people on Wednesday evening during a second night of clashes over a rapper’s jail term for a series of tweets insulting police and the monarchy. On Tuesday night, angry demonstrations erupted in Catalonia for the first time after police arrested Pablo Hasel, 32, who was hiding in a university in the region to try to avoid his jail term in a controversial free speech case.

Protests intensified on Wednesday with hundreds gathered under a heavy police presence in Madrid’s Puerta del Sol square, calling for his release. The protesters in the capital later hurled bottles at the police, who attacked them in hours of skirmishes.

Police said at least 15 people have been arrested but they would release an update Thursday morning, while the city’s emergency services said 55 people were injured, including 35 police officers.

In Barcelona, ​​protesters threw objects at the police and set barricades on fire, with the police firing foam bullets and attacking the protesters.

Across Catalonia, the Mossos d’Esquadra regional police said 31 people were arrested, including 10 in Barcelona, ​​14 in Lerida, where Hasel was arrested, five in the northern city of Girona and 2 in Tarragona.

Medics said eight people were slightly injured, and local officials and a human rights organization confirmed that a 19-year-old woman, a protester, lost an eye after being hit by a foam bullet fired by police in Barcelona on Tuesday.

At least 15 people had been arrested on Tuesday evening in protests in various Catalan cities that injured more than 30 people, including 19 police officers, officials said.

Hasel missed a Friday deadline to turn himself in and began serving a nine-month prison sentence handed down in 2018. I am a mob boss and I am accusing the police of torturing and murdering protesters and migrants.

Hasel is known for his far-left views, but his case has become a celebrity among campaigners, who say that prosecuting him is a dangerous attack on free speech.

His sentence caused outrage in Spain, with stars including filmmaker Pedro Almodovar and Hollywood actor Javier Bardem expressing support for his cause.

Amnesty International denounced the move, saying that jailing the rapper for lyrics and tweets was “unjust and disproportionate”.