OMM Newsroom
At least 128 people were arrested after violent riots in central Barcelona on Saturday, more than half of them minors, Anadolu Agency reported, citing Spain’s public broadcaster RTVE.
Seventy-two of those detained were minors, police said. Fourteen officers were injured, four seriously, and a municipal police officer was also hurt. Authorities identified about 450 people during an operation to contain the unrest.
The violence erupted near Plaça Catalunya after about 500 young people gathered for a demonstration promoted on social media by an anonymous platform. It had called for protests in major Spanish cities in support of better educational conditions, mainly using “TikTok” and messaging services including “Telegram” and “WhatsApp”.
Authorities said the gathering quickly turned violent. Participants set fire to 31 rubbish containers, built barricades and threw objects at riot police.
At least 23 businesses were vandalized or looted, while street furniture and vehicles were also damaged. Barcelona City Council estimated that damage to public street furniture alone would cost at least €36,000 ($40,330).
Emergency services received about 450 calls related to the disturbances, and firefighters responded to 33 incidents involving fires in public areas.
Police issued 68 administrative reports after confiscating bladed weapons, sprays, balaclavas, pyrotechnics and other objects.
Silvia Cata, chief commissioner of Catalonia’s regional police, the Mossos d’Esquadra, said officers had been surprised by the participants’ “extreme violence”. She described them as a disorganized group of very young people who gathered in small groups to commit vandalism and looting.
Cata said some participants were under 14 and therefore below Spain’s age of criminal responsibility. She added that police were monitoring social media and cooperating with other European law enforcement agencies to investigate the spread of calls for demonstrations and identify those responsible.
