Catalan activist groups the Committees for the Defence of the Referendum (CDR) have carried out another action this Sunday, opening virtually all the main motorway tollgates in Catalonia at a peak time for traffic returning at the end of a holiday weekend, using a coordinated strategy that has mobilized hundreds of protesters.
After an action on Saturday when they cut the main north-south motorway, the AP-7, near the town of L'Ampolla, they followed this on Sunday by opening the barriers on motorway tollgates at a large number of points across Catalonia: Martorell, Hospitalet de l'Infant, Girona, the Vallvidrera tunnels, La Roca, Les Borges Blanques, Les Fonts and Soses. Many motorists have thus had a free ride.
The coordinated action has coincided with peak hour for "operation return" - the return of Catalan holiday traffic at the end of what was a four-day weekend for many, since Thursday and Saturday were public holidays. Some cars honked their horns in approval as they sped through the open tollgates while members of the CDR chanted "Freedom for the political prisoners."
The pro-independence CDR activists removed the toll barriers and they themselves directed traffic to avoid congestion. The protest actions went without incidents, although there was monitoring by the Catalan Mossos police, who did not intervene.
The protests, which had begun at about 5.30pm, lasted until around 8.30pm on Sunday evening.
Girona / Carles Palacio
The CDRs also advised that they would carry out further actions.
Translation: We won't beg for what is ours, we'll defend it. Now we want the whole loaf. Let's shake the Ibex 35, bring down the regime of '78.
According to the Cambrils CDR, the Mossos police had already arrived at the AP-7 at 5.35pm. Four police cars were present.
At Girona, the CDR called for protesters to gather at the Nestlé roundabout, at exit 6B of the AP-7.