Around a hundred people have been arrested, a quarter of them minors, following the looting and clashes in central Barcelona. The Interior Minister attributes the riots to unorganised groups.
A call from young people spread via social media ended this Saturday in looting of shops, burning of containers, and clashes with the Mossos d'Esquadra in central Barcelona. According to RTVE, fourteen establishments in the area were vandalised or looted, and the incidents resulted in around a hundred arrests.
The gathering was organised under the slogan Institut Indignats, inspired by the student movement that has led the protests in recent weeks in France. By the afternoon, it gathered many young people dressed in black in the Plaza de Cataluña, who began to damage urban furniture before riot police intervened.
After the police charge, the group dispersed into the nearby streets while officers pursued them. The area was filled with citizens and tourists, and just a few meters away, a camp for the right to housing has been ongoing for weeks.
The Mossos responded with charges to the throwing of stones and blunt objects. The Guardia Urbana closed access to Plaza de Cataluña, from Plaza Urquinaona to Universitat, and numerous shops in the area lowered their shutters to prevent further damage.
The Interior Minister, Núria Parlon, stated that the riots were caused by groups that were "unorganised" and did not defend "any rights". She also firmly condemned acts that, in her words, have no relation to the right to protest.
"Violence has no place in Catalonia," said the president of the Generalitat, Salvador Illa.
In a message posted on X, Illa defended the actions of the Mossos to protect citizens and businesses. He reminded that protesting is a democratic right, but that attacking, intimidating, or causing damage is not.
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