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Police Charge Protesters as Neo-Nazi Núcleo Nacional Opens First Catalonia Base

Spain’s government says any bid to ban the group must go through the courts as scrutiny of its expansion grows.

Overview

  • The organization inaugurated a local office in an industrial unit in Sentmenat, its first delegation in Catalonia after keeping the exact location secret until shortly before the event.
  • Mossos d'Esquadra carried out baton charges to push back several hundred counter-protesters who tried to reach the site, according to police accounts from the scene.
  • A police spokesperson reported that demonstrators threw stones, containers and pyrotechnics before the dispersal, and said four officers were injured.
  • Antifascist, left-wing and pro-independence groups including Alerta Solidària, CDR, CUP, SEPC and Arran mobilized in Barcelona and then moved to Sentmenat to oppose the opening.
  • Núcleo Nacional is described by outlets as neo-Nazi, with Hitler imagery at its Madrid base and prior violent episodes, and lawmakers have previously urged the government to seek its dissolution.