Barcelona experiences a night of unrest following housing protest

The housing demonstration in Barcelona ended with police charges, burned containers, and several arrests. The protest, which gathered between 20,000 and 120,000 people, led to disturbances in the city centre.

The housing demonstration that took place in the centre of Barcelona on Monday ended with charges from the Mossos d'Esquadra, burned containers, and several arrests. The unrest erupted after the protest was called off, around 9:30 PM, at the intersection of Passeig de Gràcia and Gran Vía.

The march began at 8:00 PM in Plaza Urquinaona and proceeded without incident for approximately an hour and a half. The Urban Guard estimates participation at around 20,000 people, while the organisers claim attendance was as high as 120,000.

The demonstrators were demanding measures to address the housing crisis and a general strike as a pressure tactic, which housing unions aim to carry out in November.

After the protest was called off, the Mossos announced via loudspeaker for the area to be cleared. Some attendees left, but numerous groups remained gathered. According to the Mossos' account, a group began to set containers on fire in Calle Casp, one of which also affected a parked vehicle. Officers reported the throwing of fireworks, glass bottles, cobblestones, and other hard objects.

Some participants in the disturbances had their faces covered with balaclavas and used containers, fences, and bicycles to erect barricades. Chairs and tables were also thrown at the officers.

Tension escalated until, around 10:15 PM, the first police charges occurred. The Mossos attempted to disperse the groups and several arrests were made, according to EFE. The intervention initially cleared part of the area, but did not put an end to the incidents.

Some participants regrouped around Plaza Cataluña, where confrontations continued. Objects were thrown at the Mossos, including bricks, and new containers, rubbish, and cardboard were set on fire. Several units from the Fire Brigade had to be dispatched to central Barcelona to extinguish the fires.

The incidents contrasted with the peaceful development of the demonstration until its conclusion. The protest was originally scheduled for Saturday, but the red alert for heavy rains in Catalonia forced its postponement to this Monday. The storm resulted in two fatalities and thousands of emergency service interventions over the weekend.

Just a few metres from the unrest, a camp for the right to housing remains set up in Plaza Cataluña, consisting of several dozen tents.

The mobilization also took place on a day marked by national politics. Pedro Sánchez announced on Monday the advance of the general elections to 29 November, after the Congress rejected last week the two government decrees on housing with votes against from PP, Vox, and Junts.

The housing movement has made it clear that it intends to maintain mobilizations regardless of the new electoral calendar. The Tenants' Union has called for protests to continue and is aiming for a general strike in November.