Dozens of hooded individuals have smashed shop windows on Gran Vía and paseo de Gràcia and have set fire to bins in central Barcelona. The Mossos d'Esquadra responded with charges in Plaça de Catalunya and Pelai Street.
The afternoon riots in Barcelona began when dozens of hooded youths smashed the shutters of several shops at the junction of Gran Vía and paseo de Gràcia, shortly after 7:30 PM, just as the massive demonstration for the right to housing was concluding. Among the attacked stores were Victoria's Secret, H&M, and Geox. From the Victoria's Secret store, they took out clothes and set a fire in front of the door, a scene that was repeated in front of the Apple store, which they also accessed.
The clashes then moved to the vicinity of Plaça de Catalunya, where some demonstrators launched rockets and firecrackers at the Mossos d'Esquadra officers. The Catalan police deployed a line on foot to push people back towards the square.
Tension escalated as the group dispersed towards Pelai Street, with chases between youths and officers. The first charges occurred on that street and near Plaça de la Universitat, following the throwing of paint, stones, and bottles, along with barricades of burning bins.
The President of the Generalitat, Salvador Illa, condemned the events in a message on social media X:
“Neither violence nor vandalism represent the people who have peacefully demonstrated today throughout the day.”
Illa added that In Catalunya, “whoever does it pays”, and expressed his support for the Mossos d'Esquadra and the other security forces working to restore order and coexistence.
The day had started differently. In the morning, pickets with hooded individuals forced some restaurants in the centre to close, especially in Plaça de Urquinaona. There were graffiti, broken glass, smashed cups and plates, and an attempt to burn furniture.
During the march, organised groups of hooded individuals also sprayed graffiti on some of the main shops on paseo de Gràcia, while others kept watch to ensure that neither the police nor the media approached them. In Ciutat Vella, bins were set on fire that the demonstrators tried to use as barricades. The only person arrested in the city that morning was for these damages.
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