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Riot police in Spain have dispersed a small group of far-right protesters after separating them from hundreds of counter-demonstrators in Barcelona near the site of a memorial to Thursday's van attack victims.
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Members of La Falange, numbering 20 to 30, held up signs saying "Stop Islamization of Europe."
Counter-protesters were chanting "tontos," or "idiots" at them, with some of them holding up their middle fingers at the far-right protesters.
Officers wearing helmets with face shields created a blockade to kept the two sets of protesters apart before removing the members of La Falange. After they walked away, the counter-protesters applauded and also left peacefully.
The protests came a day after a van rammed into pedestrians in Barcelona's Las Ramblas avenue, killing 13 and injuring 120. Police have arrested four people in connection with the incident and a second foiled attack in the nearby coastal town of Cambrils.
Four attackers were killed by armed officers when they tried to drive their car into a group of people on the seafront. One woman was stabbed to death before the men were gunned down by the police.
Anti-fascists scream chants at far-right groups gathered to protest against Islam after last night's attacks. #BarcelonaAttacks #Barcelona pic.twitter.com/UcRb2kvLVp
— CharlotteChelsomPill (@charlottejourno) August 18, 2017
La Falange has regularly shared anti-Muslim sentiment online and blamed the “policies of multiculturalism” as well as immigration for the attacks.
“No one was fooled into thinking that the policies of multiculturalism and #RefugeesWelcome wouldn’t end like they did in Las Ramblas in Barcelona,” a statement on the La Falange website said.
In response, left-wing Catalan groups Arran and Endavant said they would organize an event near Barcelona's famous La Boqueria Market, to voice their opposition.
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