Groups of hooded youths attacked the Mossos d'Esquadra and looted shops on Paseo de Gracia at the end of the housing demonstration. The Catalan police deployed 9,000 officers to control the general strike.
A group of hooded youths threw blunt objects and fireworks at the Mossos d'Esquadra in central Barcelona, shortly after the mobilization that concluded the general strike for housing on November 11. The incidents occurred in the area of Plaza de Cataluña.
The demonstration was called by the Sindicat de Llogateres, CC.OO, and UGT. As the event concluded, its spokesperson, Enric Aragonès, left the square, and according to images circulated, a group of masked individuals charged at the line of the Mobile Brigade (Brimo) deployed in the area.
The Mossos had mobilized 9,000 agents to control the general strike. To contain the disturbances, the police deployed Brimo vans along Pau Claris street and carried out several police charges that pushed the protesters up Paseo de Gracia.
The radicals continued to launch fireworks at the police line and at the vans, and the sweeps did not manage to clear the area immediately. Additionally, several shop windows on the avenue, one of the luxury shopping streets in the Catalan capital, were left shattered.
“A group of people has broken shop windows in the Paseo de Gracia area towards Plaza Cataluña,” the Mossos d'Esquadra stated on their official Telegram channel.
According to the police, the throwing of objects was repeated several times before the intervention. The Mossos have not yet detailed the number of arrests or injuries.
For residents of Eixample and those travelling to the city centre, the recommendation is to avoid Paseo de Gracia and Plaza de Cataluña while the operations and traffic cuts are in place. The Mossos will continue to provide updates through their official channels.
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