The Mossos d'Esquadra are planning to launch this Saturday a level 4 operation, the highest contemplated for mobilizations in the public thoroughfare, with the aim of "shielding" Barcelona against a new call by 'Blocus' in different points of the city starting at 17:00 hours. The decision comes after the incidents on the 24th, when riots and looting were recorded in shops in the Catalan capital, which ended with 133 arrested and more than 600 people identified.
Police sources explained this Friday to Europa Press that the operation has been designed jointly with the Guàrdia Urbana and foresees increasing "by far" the number of officers who took part in last Saturday's operation, which numbered around 300 personnel.
The initial priority will be to carry out as many identifications as possible on public transport, given that a large part of the people identified last weekend came from municipalities in the metropolitan area.
After the closure of 4 Telegram channels with more than 3,000 members, the Mossos now monitor around 10 channels with virtually no activity. Even so, they point out that what happened last week obliges them to activate a deployment of this magnitude in the face of the risk of new disturbances, after having detected calls to gather at 17:00 hours in Plaça Catalunya and Passeig Lluís Companys, and from 20:00 hours on Passeig de Gràcia.
The operation will be directed from a central Cecor located in the Complex Central d'Egara, in Sabadell (Barcelona), which will be coordinated with the Cecor on Lleida street in Barcelona and with other command centers in different localities where the possibility of 'Blocus' calls is also contemplated.
In this sense, the Catalan police have confirmation of calls to mobilize from this Friday afternoon in Blanes, Terrassa, Reus and El Vendrell, and on Saturday in Lleida, Badalona, Igualada, Mataró, Girona, Terrassa, Gavà, Figueres and Platja D'Aro.
In all these towns, a specific deployment is also planned to intervene in case of incidents. However, the same sources stress that the only call that came to materialize was that of Barcelona on the 24th, while attempts to replicate it in other cities have not brought together participants nor generated incidents.
(MORE TO COME)