Barcelona turn Athletic Club match into protest over Elche police incident

Spotify Camp Nou was filled with thousands of Catalan independence flags as Barcelona supporters protested against the alleged police assault of a fan in Elche during their 2-0 La Liga win over Athletic Club on Thursday.

The display followed an incident last Sunday in which a Catalan supporter was reportedly attacked by police after officers removed an independence flag from him.

A large section of the Barcelona support responded to a call from club president Joan Laporta, who had urged fans to turn the match into “an act to raise the Estelada” the independence flag which, he said, represents many Catalans and Barcelona supporters.

The initiative was backed by several organisations supporting Catalan independence. The flying of the flags reached its peak while Barcelona’s anthem was played over the loudspeakers inside Spotify Camp Nou.

Before kick-off, the Catalan National Assembly (ANC) distributed about 10,000 independence flags outside the stadium, according to Catalan public media.

Josep Vila, president of the ANC, called for independence flags to be raised at stadiums throughout the country in response to what he described as “hatred of Catalans, xenophobia and completely unjustified violence”.

“The best response is to fill stadiums with independence flags with dignity, and not only at Camp Nou,” he said.

Barcelona had announced on Wednesday that it would cancel a planned tribute to eight of its players who won the World Cup with the Spain national team. The club instead replaced the ceremony with an event promoting the Catalan independence flag.

The decision came after the confrontation involving a Barcelona supporter carrying the flag during the club’s match in Elche at the weekend. The incident prompted widespread political debate in Spain.

The Spanish government has opened an investigation and acknowledged that there had been an “ disproportionate use of force”. It was also confirmed on Thursday that Barcelona would provide legal representation for the supporter who was beaten by police.

Barcelona’s decision to alter the planned ceremony gave the protest an official club context, while the presence of thousands of flags in the stands turned the match against Athletic Club into a highly visible demonstration. The display was concentrated around the independence symbol, rather than being presented as a separate event away from the game.

The Elche incident has therefore moved beyond a dispute involving one supporter, becoming the focus of a wider political reaction involving Barcelona, the ANC and groups campaigning for Catalan independence. The Spanish government’s investigation and the club’s decision to cover the fan’s legal support are the latest developments in the case.