Basques demand referendum

BERRIZ, Spain, Oct. 26 (UPI) -- Organizers say an estimated 20,000 people in six towns in the Basque region of Spain rallied for the right to have a referendum on independence.

The protests occurred Saturday after Spain's Supreme Court ruled a referendum vote would be illegal, the BBC reported Sunday.

Speaking with reporters, Juan Jose Ibarretxe, head of the regional government, accused Spain's ruling officials of showing an arrogant disregard for the rights of the Basque people.

Police were trying to determine whether two small explosions Saturday were linked to the protests. No one was injured when a small bomb destroyed the ceiling of a ticket hall in Berriz and a gasoline bomb was thrown in the nearby town of Amorebieta, the BBC reported.