121 hurt as riot police move in to clear Barcelona protest camp

Riot police in Barcelona yesterday clashed with protesters at one of the makeshift camps that have been set up in cities across Spain to protest against high unemployment.

It was reported that up to 121 people were hurt in the clashes.

Television showed police beating protesters with truncheons, and kicking and dragging them along the ground.

Riot police were accompanying workers cleaning up the nearly two-week-old camp at the city's Plaza de Catalunya and police used force when protesters would not evacuate the camp temporarily as requested.

An official said police fired blanks to try to disperse the protesters, in order to clear the square of material such as bottles, sticks and camping gas containers before possible celebrations today after the Champions League final in London in which Barcelona is playing.

United behind the slogan "Real Democracy Now", tens of thousands of mostly young people have set up protest camps in cities and town across Spain since 15 May to voice their discontent over the government's handling of the economic crisis.