A social media call against housing prices ended in riots in Plaça de Catalunya. At least a hundred people were identified, and nearly a quarter are minors.
The Mossos d'Esquadra had to intervene on Saturday in the centre of Barcelona to disperse a group of young people who had gathered in Plaça de Catalunya. According to police reports, the protest ended with 14 shops vandalised and looted in the city centre.
The gathering had emerged from a social media call against high housing prices and in favour of better living conditions. According to the police version, most of those present were students and young people dressed in black. Some began to damage street furniture and set fire to rubbish bins, which forced the officers to deploy to dissolve the gathering.
Attendance figures vary by source. At least a hundred people were identified, and nearly a quarter were minors. Some international media raised the number of participants to 600 young people.
“They were not defending any rights,” said the Interior Minister, Núria Parlon, who attributed the incidents to “unorganised” groups.
The mayor of Barcelona, Jaume Collboni, condemned the violence of the mobilisation. He announced that those involved will be sanctioned and, if they are minors, their legal guardians as well.
For the residents of the centre, the episode leaves closures and damage in several shopping streets. Investigations will remain open to determine the responsibility of each participant.
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