Riots in Barcelona: police arrest 128 people, 72 minors

The Mossos d'Esquadra have arrested 128 people for the riots on Saturday near Plaza Catalunya. More than half of those arrested are minors.

The Mossos d'Esquadra have raised the number of arrests to 128 due to the disturbances that occurred on Saturday around Plaza Catalunya in Barcelona. The balance, released in a statement on Sunday, significantly exceeds the initial count from the previous night. The events originated from an unauthorised protest called through social media.

The profile of those arrested is striking. More than 56% are under 18 years old, and 122 are men and 6 women. Only two of the detainees had previous records for public disorder, meaning the majority had not previously been involved in incidents of this nature.

The clashes also left injuries among the police ranks. 14 Mossos officers were injured, four of them seriously, during an afternoon and night of heightened tension in the city centre.

The firefighters carried out 33 interventions to extinguish fires in urban furniture, particularly burned containers and bins as the riots spread around the square. Local businesses also suffered vandalism: 23 shops were damaged, nine more than were counted in the initial report.

Additionally, the officers opened 68 administrative records for the confiscation of bladed weapons, sprays, balaclavas, fireworks, and stones, among other items. A significant portion of the seized material is not related to a peaceful protest, as it includes items for concealing one's face and others that could be thrown at people or property.

The first official count arrived on Saturday after 11:00 PM, during a joint press conference by Barcelona Mayor Jaume Collboni and Interior Minister of the Generalitat Núria Parlon. At that time, they spoke of around 100 arrests, with 25% being minors, and about 500 people who had participated since around 6:00 PM.

Parlon warned that night that the operation was still active and did not rule out further arrests. The statement confirms the forecast: the number of detainees has increased by 28 people and the proportion of minors has risen from a quarter to more than half of the total.

In their appearance, Collboni and Parlon condemned the events and distinguished them from the peaceful demonstrations recently held in the city, including the mobilisations for the right to housing. The mayor linked them to calls that, in his words, are spreading across Europe, with France as an example.

“There will be consequences for adults and there will be consequences for the parents of minors,” said Jaume Collboni.

The mayor announced that the City Council will demand judicial and financial responsibilities, with a scope that, given the number of minors, affects a large part of those arrested and their families. Collboni also committed municipal support to the damaged businesses, with whom he maintained contact throughout the night. The minister assured that vandal mobilisations unrelated to the right to protest will not be tolerated, and both thanked the work of the Mossos, the Guardia Urbana, and the firefighters throughout the day.