French police clear protesters at Spanish border crossing

French police have used pepper spray and batons to push back pro-Catalan independence protesters who blocked a major highway border pass between France and Spain.

The police then began towing away vehicles and debris with the aim of reopening the road to traffic.

Click to Gallery

French police officers remove pro-Catalan independence demonstrators blocking a major highway border pass near La Jonquera between Spain and France, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2019. Protesters following a call to action by a secretive pro-Catalan independence group have closed off both sides of the AP7 highway at the major transportation hub of La Jonquera between France and Spain. (AP PhotoJoan Mateu)

French police have used pepper spray and batons to push back pro-Catalan independence protesters who blocked a major highway border pass between France and Spain.

Several hundred protesters remain gathered around La Jonquera crossing and Catalan regional police from Spain were standing by.

French police officers remove pro-Catalan independence demonstrators blocking a major highway border pass near La Jonquera between Spain and France, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2019. Protesters following a call to action by a secretive pro-Catalan independence group have closed off both sides of the AP7 highway at the major transportation hub of La Jonquera between France and Spain. (AP PhotoJoan Mateu)

French police officers cross a road block to remove pro-Catalan independence demonstrators blocking a major highway border pass near La Jonquera between Spain and France, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2019. Protesters following a call to action by a secretive pro-Catalan independence group have closed off both sides of the AP7 highway at the major transportation hub of La Jonquera between France and Spain. (AP PhotoFelipe Dana)

French police officers remove pro-Catalan independence demonstrators blocking a major highway border pass near La Jonquera between Spain and France, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2019. Protesters following a call to action by a secretive pro-Catalan independence group have closed off both sides of the AP7 highway at the major transportation hub of La Jonquera between France and Spain. (AP PhotoFelipe Dana)

More Images

French police have used pepper spray and batons to push back pro-Catalan independence protesters who blocked a major highway border pass between France and Spain.

Several hundred protesters remain gathered around La Jonquera crossing and Catalan regional police from Spain were standing by.

French police officers remove pro-Catalan independence demonstrators blocking a major highway border pass near La Jonquera between Spain and France, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2019. Protesters following a call to action by a secretive pro-Catalan independence group have closed off both sides of the AP7 highway at the major transportation hub of La Jonquera between France and Spain. (AP PhotoJoan Mateu)

French police officers cross a road block to remove pro-Catalan independence demonstrators blocking a major highway border pass near La Jonquera between Spain and France, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2019. Protesters following a call to action by a secretive pro-Catalan independence group have closed off both sides of the AP7 highway at the major transportation hub of La Jonquera between France and Spain. (AP PhotoFelipe Dana)

French police officers remove pro-Catalan independence demonstrators blocking a major highway border pass near La Jonquera between Spain and France, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2019. Protesters following a call to action by a secretive pro-Catalan independence group have closed off both sides of the AP7 highway at the major transportation hub of La Jonquera between France and Spain. (AP PhotoFelipe Dana)

The police action Tuesday led to some scuffles, and some protesters could be seen crying from the effects of the spray.

Several hundred protesters remain gathered around La Jonquera crossing and Catalan regional police from Spain were standing by.

The planned three-day protest started Monday. It was organized by a clandestine activist group called Tsunami Democratic, which has staged many protests, some violent, since a dozen Catalan separatist leaders were convicted last month for their role in a push to make Catalonia independent from Spain in 2017.

PARIS (AP) — French President Emmanuel Macron is expected to outline his vision for Europe to become a more assertive global power against a backdrop of war in Ukraine and other security and economic challenges, in a speech on Thursday ahead of pivotal European Parliament elections in June.

The French president plans to focus on strategic and geopolitical issues in Europe, including defense, the economy, protecting the environment and safeguarding democracy, his advisers said. Russia’s war in Ukraine, now in its third year, is expected to be the main theme of the speech Macron will deliver at Paris’ Sorbonne University on Thursday.

France has been an firm supporter of Ukraine in its fight against Russian aggression, and Macron has often clashed with other Western leaders as he has insisted that Europe must stand by the country at any cost. Last month, the French president alarmed European leaders by saying that sending Western troops into Ukraine to shore up its defenses shouldn’t be ruled out.

Macron, a staunch European, is also expected to rally support for his centrist Renaissance party ahead of the June 6-9 elections for the European Parliament. The French president lost his majority in France’s most influential house of parliament, the National Assembly, after the 2022 election to the far-left coalition and the far-right National Rally party.

The social situation in France remains tense as Paris prepares to host the Olympic Games this summer, amid protests from teachers, police officers, and farmers in recent weeks. The protests follow huge demonstrations last year against Macron’s ultimately successful proposal to rise the retirement age.

French police clear protesters at Spanish border crossing

News