BARCELONA-REAL MADRID
Mass protest against jailing of Catalan separatist leaders to coincide with El Clásico
A mass protest in response to the prison terms handed to nine Catalan separatist leaders by the Spanish Supreme Court could disrupt regular Clásico matchday celebrations.
A mass protest in response to the prison terms handed to nine Catalan separatist leaders by the Spanish Supreme Court on Monday will be held on Barcelona on October 26, coinciding with El Clásico.
As the match between Barcelona and Real Madrid kicks off at 1pm that day, thousands of supporters of the sentenced separist leaders will be expected to have taken to the streets, an event which could disrupt regular Clásico matchday celebrations.
With the world's eyes on Barcelona for one of the biggest sporting events on the planet, the protest organisers could see the game itself as the perfect platform to bring attention to the political cause.
FC Barcelona response
FC Barcelona was the first major Catalan entity to issue a statement in response to the sentencing of the nine separitist leaders, who have all been handed prison terms of between 9 and 13 years for the crime of sedition. The club stood behind the leaders, stating: "PRISON IS NOT THE SOLUTION".
Barcelona captain Gerard Pique also retweeted the club statement in an act of solidarity with the leaders, saying he was "Proud to be part of this Club", while former Barcelona legend Xavi said the decision to by the Spanish Supreme Court was "shameful".