The president of the PP, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, has defended that "in democracy, differences are defended with arguments, never with violence or by building walls," in reference to the incidents recorded this Saturday night in the Plaza de Cataluña in Barcelona.
In a message published on the social network X, the leader of the 'populars' emphasized that "coexistence requires responsibility and not feeding those who put it at risk," in response to information from Europa Press about the disturbances that occurred in the center of the Catalan capital.
Likewise, Feijóo added that "Spain needs a change that arises from the ballot boxes, with freedom and respect."
Since Saturday afternoon, vans from the Mossos d'Esquadra have secured the perimeter of Plaza Cataluña, where they have carried out various targeted charges to disperse activists concentrated in the area, most of them hooded and dressed in black.
After the intervention of the Bombers, who extinguished the fire of a barricade and other urban elements set on fire by those gathered, riot units have carried out new charges to evict the plaza. Despite this, the activists later set fire to part of the terrace of the Zúrich bar and several trash cans.
The barricade has been erected with small containers, trash cans, and motorcycles at the confluence of Bergara Street with Plaza Cataluña, where participants in the disturbances have broken the glass of two nearby bus shelters, have begun to vandalize a traffic light, and have caused damage to other elements of urban furniture.
In light of the escalation of tension, some businesses have protected their windows and entrances, while the police urged tourists to leave the plaza to ensure their safety.
Police sources have informed Europa Press that the Mossos d'Esquadra have made several arrests in Plaza Cataluña and adjacent streets, in the context of disturbances in which containers and various urban furniture have been burned, without specifying the number of arrests.
Around 9:45 PM, there were no active fires left in the public thoroughfare, although damage and looting have been recorded in store windows, bus shelters, trash cans, and some traffic lights, in addition to numerous motorcycles and bicycles thrown on the ground or burned in makeshift barricades.
At that same hour, the vans of the Mossos continued surrounding the Catalonia square, where some activists still remained, increasingly more dispersed.