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Catalan pro-independence activists blocked traffic on Catalania's main north-south motorway, the AP-7, for 15 hours this Saturday. CDR activist groups (Committees for Defence of the Republic) cut the motorway at 7am on Saturday morning near the southern Catalan town of L'Ampolla, 170 kilometres south of Barcelona, and only decided to withdraw at around 10pm in the evening. Between kilometres 307 and 311, signposted diversions towards the N-340 highway allowed drivers to get round the roadblock. At one stage, there was bumper-to-bumper congestion for several kilometres.

The pro-independence protesters were demanding the resignation of Catalan interior minister Miquel Buch following the violent police repression of anti-fascist demonstrators by the Catalan Mossos police on Thursday, and they were also protesting in solidarity with the hunger strike of political prisoners Jordi Sànchez, Jordi Turull, Joaquim Forn and Josep Rull.

The AP7 motorway cut in both directions. Watch for information on social media!— CDR Cambrils ​

The protest action started early in the morning, when a group of about 200 people, according to the Mossos d'Esquadra, entered the motorway and blocked it with a barrier of tyres. The Cambrils CDR called the mobilization with the slogan 'The people rule, the government obeys! Republic now'.

We are cutting the AP-7 at L'Ampolla! Don't weaken! The people rule, the government obeys! Republic now— CDR Cambrils

It's 8am. Join us! We are cutting the highway at L'Ampolla! We are waiting for you!— CDR de la Ribera d'Ebre

Hours later, with the motorway effectively closed at that southern point, CDRs made requests on social media for people to join them... with food and drinks.

We are calling across the whole territory for people to join us at the indefinite cut at the frontier at L'Ampolla. We need people to bring tents, sleeping bags, blankets, food and drink.— CDR Catalunya

The sun is going down, ten hours of blocked motorway and we are continuing.— ​CDR Cambrils

Nine hours of blockage! The Republic is built by fighting at street (or highway) level, and avoiding symbolic gestures.— CDR Cambrils