WATCH: Violence in Barcelona mars Spain’s National Day celebrations

SOME 65,000 protestors are estimated to have gathered in Barcelona on Spain’s National Day (Día de la Hispanidad) today.

Mainly peaceful demonstrators have carried Spanish and Catalan flags, and many of them have worn purple T-shirts with the slogan “respect” written on the front, while othe back it carried the message “We are Spanish, we work, we suffer and we fight.”

But serious incidents broke out this afternoon in the Plaza Catalunya with witnesses describing a ‘pitched-battle’ with chairs and other objects being thrown. 

The Mossos d’Esquadra police force have opened an investigation into the violence which they believe was instigated by around 20 members of an ultra-right wing group.

La grieta entre los que defienden el reclamo catalán por la independencia y los que no quieren separarse de España terminó a los sillazos pic.twitter.com/M4Gas6BikP

— TN – Todo Noticias (@todonoticias) October 12, 2017