Looting and fires as youth gathering turns violent in central Barcelona

Shops were looted and fires lit in central Barcelona on Saturday as a youth gathering turned violent, prompting police to intervene and close access to Plaça de Catalunya. The disturbances took place on 24 October, according to Spanish broadcaster RTVE Catalunya, which reported clashes between youths and police and some arrests.

The gathering had been promoted on social media under the slogan “Institut Indignats”, a name linked by RTVE to recent student protests in France. RTVE reported that some participants smashed shop windows, set fire to street furniture and threw stones and other objects at police. Barcelona’s urban police closed access to the square, while nearby businesses lowered their shutters.

The Mossos d’Esquadra, Catalonia’s regional police, urged people to stay away from the area. Catalan president Salvador Illa condemned the violence, saying that protesting was a democratic right but that assaulting people or causing damage was not.

The Dutch news agency ANP reported that police detained about 100 young people and that roughly a quarter were minors. RTVE’s account also reported arrests but did not give a total or the proportion who were under 18.

RTVE said the gathering followed calls circulated on social media to repeat protests in France in several Spanish cities. The commercial organisation Barna Centre had issued a preventive warning to its members about messages urging people to mobilise in Barcelona and other cities.