Seven Arrested in Spain for Far-RIGHT Raid on Catalans

Spanish police on Thursday arrested seven far-right activists accused of setting off an irritant gas in an attack on supporters of independence for Catalonia, leaving five people in need of medical treatment, officials said.

The group burst into a cultural center in central Madrid and set off the gas as politicians and others gathered to mark Catalonia's national day on Wednesday evening.

A video of the incident posted online showed the intruders tearing down a Catalan flag and scuffling with participants.

They brandished flags with far-right symbols and yelled: "They don't fool us, Catalonia is Spain!"

Police on Thursday morning arrested seven suspects "linked to the radical right" in connection with the incident, a police spokeswoman who asked not to be named told AFP.

The intruders let off gas in the center as they left, causing five people to require treatment for irritation of the eyes and throat as well as light injuries and shock, the spokeswoman said.

As the intruders left, participants in the meeting were seen covering their mouths and noses, apparently suffering from the effects of gas.

The disrupted gathering was held for Catalonia's national day, marked this year by a huge rally in favor of independence with demonstrators joining hands in a vast human chain across the northeastern region.

Spain's central government in Madrid staunchly opposes the drive for a referendum on sovereignty for Catalonia.

Politicians on the left and the right condemned the incident in Madrid.

A senior leader of the ruling conservative Popular Party, Esteban Gonzalez Pons, denounced it as a "fascist attack".

The vice-president of Catalonia's regional government, Joana Ortega, called it "totally intolerable".