Thousands of supporters of Spain's separatist group ETA took to the streets of a northern Spanish town on Saturday, demanding the release of jailed ETA members days after the failure of a nine-month ceasefire.

Police clashed with the demonstrators at the northern town of San Sebastian.

The demonstration came a week after a car bomb killed two Ecuadorian immigrants at the Madrid airport's parking lot. The Spanish government blamed ETA for the attack.

ETA has not claimed responsibility for the blast, but one hour before the bomb went off, a caller saying he represented the group had warned the fire brigade and rescue services of the attack.

ETA, created in 1959, has called for the establishment of an independent Basque state in the Basque region straddling the Spanish-French border.

Over the past four decades, assassinations, kidnappings and explosions carried out by the group have claimed the lives of nearly 1,000 people.

ETA declared a permanent truce on March 22 last year. Three months later, the Spanish government decided to start a dialogue with the group.

Source: Xinhua