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Catalonia protesters clash with police over separatist trial

Police officers stand next to burning barricades settled to block the AP7 highway during a regional strike near Girona, Spain, February 21, 2019. REUTERS/Pilar Suarez

BARCELONA, Spain (Reuters) - Riot police clashed with pro-independence Catalan protesters in Barcelona on Thursday while other activists burned tires and tried to block highways across northeast Spain as part of a day of protests against the trial of 12 separatist leaders. Near the Plaza Catalonia railway station in downtown Barcelona, police in riot gear used batons against a large group of mostly young protesters after some of them hurled stones at the police. No arrests or injuries were reported. (Reporting by Pilar Suárez and Jordi Rubio; Writing by Paul Day and Andrei Khalip; Editing by Angus MacSwan)