Sagrada Família occupied in protest against referendum trial

Some 30 people locked themselves in Barcelona’s unfinished monument Sagrada Família to protest against the Catalan referendum trial on Friday evening, and their intention was to stay overnight. They left, however, in the early morning, after negotiating with the police.

Pro-independence civic group ANC organised a surprise rally in the surroundings of the iconic church in the early evening, including giving flyers to tourists passing by against the proceedings trying 12 politicians and activists over their role in the 2017 independence push.

Some 100 people took part in the action, and some 30 of them decided to occupy the building in Barcelona’s center.

The move reminds of a similar one on February 1, in which a handful of individuals locked themselves inside the European Commission and Parliament’s headquarters in Barcelona. They were also demonstrating against the trial, which was due to start within the following two weeks.