Catalonia protests shut down Barcelona's Sagrada Familia

PanARMENIAN.Net - Barcelona's Sagrada Familia church - one of the city's main tourist attractions - has shut down because of protesters blocking its entrance.

Protests, which are now entering their fifth day, and a general strike have brought the Spanish city to a halt.

Trains are stopped and roads blocked by protesters angered by jail sentences imposed on Catalan separatist leaders.

The Barcelona and Real Madrid football teams have postponed a match they were due to play on 26 October.

The famous rivals had been set to meet in El Clásico, a hugely popular clash held at Barcelona's Camp Nou stadium.

On its official Twitter account, the church says a group of protesters was standing at the entrance and access to the premise could not be guaranteed.

A big demonstration is under way outside the city's university, with hundreds of thousands of other protesters from across the Catalonia region due to converge on Barcelona later in the day.

Protesters have blocked at least 20 major roads, including the main cross-border motorway with France, by sitting down on the carriageways.

At least 96 people have been hurt as the protests spread across Spain's north-eastern region.