Arran spokesperson denies having taken part in anti-tourism protest

Oliver believed that the investigation into the protest was a further example of "the repressive drift of the Spanish state and of how any peaceful protest, tweet or other sign of freedom of expression can end up in court".

The lawyer representing the twelve, Josep de Luis, said that there was no violence or confrontation during the protest. Only three of the twelve who have been summoned were at the protest on the Moll Vell pier, and one of them - according to the lawyer - was not a demonstrator but was covering the incident for a media outlet.

De Luis suggested that the National Police report of the protest was such that the case against the twelve should not have been processed. "Under normal circumstances, one would have thought that it would never have been initiated. We don't really understand what we are doing here."

The radical youth organisation Arran staged the protest against mass tourism last July. It took several days for it to come to the public's attention, and this was because Arran posted footage on social networks. The twelve who have been summoned face charges of damage, threats and public disorder. Further declarations are scheduled for next week.