Spanish riot police stop street protest in support of Basque separatist parties

Riot police dispersed an illegal street protest by several thousand supporters of Basque separatist parties in the northern city of Bilbao on Sunday.

Four people were arrested and one police officer was slightly injured during clashes, a police spokesman said on condition of anonymity in keeping with force rules.

Fires were lit and streets blocked with burning debris by sympathizers of two parties that have been barred from fielding candidates in Spain's general elections March 9.

The protest had been called in support of Basque Nationalist Action and the Communist Party of the Basque Lands and took place despite a ban on the march issued late …