The public has taken advantage of the anti-terrorism march this Saturday in Barcelona to praise the Mossos d'Esquadra (Catalan police) for their response to the attacks carried out in Catalonia on 17th August. Applause, placards of thanks and even flowers for the police vans have been used to show support for the Catalan police force.
Mossos, firefighters and emergency services and all other police and emergency forces were the great protagonists of today's demonstration against the attacks in Barcelona and Cambrils nine days ago. In fact, they were placed at the head of the parade which, under the motto "No tinc por" ("I'm not afraid" in Catalan) walked to plaça Catalunya in the centre of the city.
Beyond just leading the march, the Mossos received the explicit support of the public, who expressed their support for this police body to the point of, spontaneously, covering a police van with flowers.
#ESPECTACULAR: Imatges que ho diuen tot, reconeixement als @mossos. #Moltes_GRÀCIES #NoTincPor #NoTenimPor #OrgullososDeSerMossos pic.twitter.com/RXHvjDyfw5
— Sindicat USPAC (@USPAC) 26 de agosto de 2017
Desenes de roses als cotxes de @mossos i vehicles d'emergències @semgencat, una vegada més GRÀCIES!⚘ pic.twitter.com/6Il2dld6Jw
— Quim Roca Ventura (@jrocaventura) 26 de agosto de 2017
Some attendees also carried placards in recognition of the work they have done. One of these thanked the Mossos for their work and wondered "when [will they be able to join] Europol?" This has been a controversial topic in recent days as the central Spanish government has reiterated that the Mossos will not be able to access the information centres of the European police office.
Leaving this to one side, the police force received great support from the public. Specificallly, their head, Josep Lluís Trapero, was aclaimed by people at the demonstration.