MADRID -- Riot police charged at protesters outside Barcelona's airport Monday after the Supreme Court sentenced 12 prominent Catalan separatists to lengthy prison terms for their roles in a 2017 push for the wealthy Spanish region's independence.
Police used batons against the protesters who converged on El Prat airport after a call by the grassroots group Democratic Tsunami, which supports Catalan secession. An Associated Press reporter at the scene saw police fire projectiles. Spanish media said police had used foam-type bullets.
Health authorities in northeastern Spain say 75 protesters have been injured during ongoing clashes with police.
Spain's airport operator, AENA, said at least 108 flights were canceled.
The heavy prison sentences rallied the separatist cause, which is going through its most difficult period in years as its most charismatic leaders are behind bars or abroad, before Spain's Nov. 10 general election.
The Catalan separatist movement's two main political parties have been at odds over strategy, and the grassroots organizations that have driven the movement have voiced criticism about the lack of political progress.
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Spain's caretaker prime minister, Pedro Sanchez, said he hoped the sentence would mark a watershed in the long standoff between national authorities in Madrid and separatists in the Catalan capital Barcelona. Sanchez said the court's verdict proved the 2017 secession attempt had become "a shipwreck."
He urged people to "set aside extremist positions" and "embark on a new phase" for Catalonia.
But secessionists were defiant and took to the streets in a show of force.
Protesters also halted some Catalan train services by placing burning tires and wood on tracks. They also blocked some roads in the region. Further marches and protests were scheduled for Monday evening.
The convicted Catalan leaders -- jailed for nearly two years while their case was heard -- have grown into powerful symbols for the separatists. Many sympathizers wear yellow ribbons pinned to their clothes as a sign of protest.
Separatist politicians said they would give no ground.
Catalan regional president Quim Torra described the court's verdict as "an act of vengeance." He said it "will not stop us from acting on our determination to build an independent state."
At the center of the prosecutors' case was the Oct. 1, 2017 independence referendum that the Catalan government held even though the country's highest court had disallowed it.
The "Yes" vote won, but because it was an illegal ballot most voters didn't turn out and the vote count was considered of dubious value. The Catalan Parliament, however, unilaterally declared independence three weeks later, triggering Spain's worst political crisis in decades.
The Spanish government stepped in and fired the Catalan regional government, with prosecutors later bringing charges.
Nine of the Catalans on trial for their efforts to achieve independence received between nine and 13 years in prison for sedition. Four of them were additionally convicted for misuse of public funds, and three more were fined for disobedience. The Spanish Constitution says the country can't be divided.
All of them were barred from holding public office.
Information for this article was contributed by Joseph Wilson, Renata Brito, Barry Hatton and staff members of The Associated Press.
A Section on 10/15/2019