Thousands of protesters took to the streets across Spanish cities on Tuesday evening demanding the release of a rapper arrested by police over a series of tweets in a controversial free speech case, writes DW.

Police in riot gear stormed a university 150 kilometers west of Barcelona on Tuesday morning and arrested rapper Pablo Hasel, who had barricaded himself inside the campus to avoid jail.

Later in the day, around 2,000 people rallied in central Barcelona waving banners and placards that said: “Freedom for Pablo Hasel”.

A handful of protesters also set trash cans on fire, erected street barricades, and threw stones, bottles, and firecrackers at the police, chanting slogans such as “Death to the Spanish regime”. Several stores and banks were damaged, and police stations in the Catalan capital were vandalized, with windows smashed and spray-paints on the walls.

The Catalan regional police Mossos d"Escuadra said on Twitter that protesters burned motorbikes and bins, creating barricades and blocking streets in Barcelona, adding that 14 people had been arrested.