Trains, airports and football teams on strike in Catalunya

Strikes on main railway lines from midnight tonight (Monday) will run until October 13, although minimum services of 25% are obligatory during the rush hours – from 06.30 to 09.30 and 17.00 to 20.00.

Long-distance and high-speed rail links will be less disrupted, with 486 out of 637 trains running, whilst 65% of medium-distance trains will continue as planned.

The airports in Barcelona (El Prat), Reus, Girona (Costa Brava) and Sabadell will be affected from tomorrow, with only 23% of services running in the first of these and 34% in Reus, with the others somewhere in between.

Girona FC has issued a statement confirming it will be joining the strike, and all training at every level, including the junior matches, will be called off whilst the Montilví club office will be shut.

“The club condemns the violent and repressive actions experienced on Sunday in Catalunya and expresses its support and solidarity with the citizens and institutions of the nation,” the note concludes – 'nation' referring to Catalunya.

RCD Espanyol, based in Barcelona, has cancelled the women's match and training match due to take place on Tuesday night, but says it 'scrupulously respects' the 'personal wishes' of workers as to whether or not they wish to join the strike.

The Dani Jarque stadium, where Espanyol is based, will be closed and the men's team will train behind locked doors.

“We will resum our usual activity in our two work centres in Cornellà, El Prat de Llobregat and Sant Adrià de Besòs on Wednesday, October 4,” the statement finishes.

FC Barcelona has followed suit, with no training taking place tomorrow.

The strike has been called by the Mesa por la Democracia ('Table for Democracy'), which also convened a 15-minute shut-down across Catalunya at noon today to 'strongly condemn the use of violence to prevent the exercising of the right to democracy and to freedom of expression'.

Barça was one of the many entities which took part in the 15-minute 'silence'.