Read in Catalan

In three separate incidents, news journalists covering Friday's Spanish national day march in Barcelona complained that they were harassed and threatened by unionist protesters while trying to do their jobs. An international correspondent for the French channel France 24, a journalist for Barcelona's Betevé channel, and a news team from Catalonia's TV3 were all affected.

The news crew from Catalan public broadcaster TV3 had to be given protection by police at the central Barcelona rally. The incident was denounced in a tweet by fellow journalist Lorena Moreno, of Spanish public broadcaster TVE. The tweeted video shows how a group of Spanish nationalist demonstrators approach the Catalan journalists, insulting and threatening them. “Let us do our job, whichever media we work for”, says Moreno is her message.

Translation: Shameful! Let us journalists do our job, whatever media we work for. All my support to my TV3 colleagues who had to be given protection by the Mossos police - Lorena Moreno

Members of the Catalan Mossos police moved quickly to protect the TV3 crew and ordered the unionists to move away. This was occurring at the same time as different leaders of Spanish nationalist groups were making their speeches in Plaça Catalunya, with politicians from the PP and Vox parties listening as well as chanting anti-independence slogans.

Meanwhile, another Catalan journalist, Laura Arias of the Barcelona city channel Betevé also complained that she received abuse and interference from unionist marchers, making it impossible for her to do her work. "This is what happened to me today. I didn't say anything, I didn't complain, I didn't respond. I ignored those who were trying to stop me from filming what they didn't want to be seen. It is unfair to have to suffer this tension from any collective", she wrote in a tweet, with video attached.

And as well as the two local journalists, an international reporter also suffered similar treatment. French journalist Elise Gazengel, covering the march for the French international news channel France 24 also used Twitter to demounce that she was harassed by Spanish nationalist demonstrators during Friday's march. 

Gazengel explained that, just a few minutes before her live broadcast for the French news channel in Plaça Catalunya, a group of men tried to make her wear a sticker of the Spanish flag on her shoulder. She told them she didn't want this. "What do you mean no? We all have to wear them", they responded. Then, she says, the group went away, but returned and stuck the adhesive on her camera when wasn't looking. This isn't the way, she concluded.