Barcelona faces this Sunday the balance of an afternoon and night of disturbances that left around a hundred detainees and 14 businesses vandalized or looted in the city center. Approximately a quarter of those arrested are minors, according to provisional data provided by the authorities. The mayor, Jaume Collboni, has announced that the City Council will take part in the judicial proceedings for the damages.
The incidents began on Saturday, October 24, around six in the evening, after a youth call spread through social networks. The concentration in Plaza Catalunya led to clashes with the police, fires, broken shop windows, and looting that spread through the nearby streets.
The Minister of Interior, Núria Parlon, attributed the events to "unorganized" groups that, according to her assessment, were not defending "any rights." Both she and Collboni expressly separated these episodes of violence from the peaceful mobilizations and the encampment for access to housing set up in the same square.
Businesses closed with customers inside and shattered shop windows
The closing of shutters was one of the first measures adopted by establishments to protect themselves. Some, including El Corte Inglés in Plaza Catalunya, closed while there were still customers inside.
Reuters captures images of people who remained inside the businesses during the incidents and of hooded individuals breaking shop windows and taking merchandise. The attacks occurred in one of the busiest commercial and tourist areas of Barcelona.
The violence also affected terraces and parked vehicles. Part of the terrace of the Zúrich bar burned, and containers, trash cans, and motorcycles were used to build barricades. In various places, bicycles and motorcycles were left toppled, in addition to damaged awnings and traffic lights.
The Guàrdia Urbana restricted access to Plaza Catalunya, and nearby establishments began interrupting their activities. The Mossos carried out charges and dispersal maneuvers while asking citizens to avoid approaching the hotspots of the disturbances.
The City Council will take the damages to court
The joint appearance of Collboni and Parlon, held after eleven at night, shifted the focus from police intervention to the judicial consequences.
The mayor announced that the city council will take action to defend the affected public assets. He also warned that he will seek accountability for the damages and referred to the legal guardians of the minors involved. This is the announcement of the actions that the City Council intends to undertake, the specifics of which will depend on the corresponding procedures.
Parlon did not rule out new arrests, both during the operation and as a result of the subsequent investigation. The balance of around one hundred arrests should therefore be understood as provisional.
A call on social media with references to the French protests
The concentration had not been communicated to the Interior Ministry. Its dissemination used the slogan "Instituts Indignats," a reference to the French student mobilizations known as "Lycées Indignés."
The authorities placed the turnout at several hundred people. EFE reports an estimate of about 600 young people at the peak of the concentration. The Interior Ministry raised the possibility of a copycat effect from the incidents recorded in other European cities, although that comparison does not support a common organization.
The Generalitat and the City Council insisted that the disturbances were not related to the housing camp. The distinction is relevant because both events shared the environment of Plaza Catalunya, but the authorities identified them as different incidents.
Illa condemns the violence and the opposition demands accountability
The president of the Generalitat, Salvador Illa, condemned the attacks and supported the work of the Mossos. "Protesting is a democratic right. Aggressing, intimidating, or causing damage is not," he stated, differentiating the claims from the violent acts.
The president of the PP, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, appealed for coexistence and called for a political change. Vox, for its part, held the government of Pedro Sánchez responsible for the situation. These are the partisan reactions to events for which the investigation will determine individual responsibilities.
The balance communicated during the night now focuses on the damages to businesses and public space, the identification of those involved, and the processing of the arrests.