The Minister of Culture and number 2 of Comuns-Front Ampli for Barcelona in the general elections, Ernest Urtasun, has demanded "that a thorough investigation be conducted and that it be known who is responsible" for the disturbances recorded on Saturday night in Barcelona, as well as clarifying the role that social networks may have had in their organization.
In a press conference this Monday, he avoided directly pointing to the far right as the author of the incidents, although he emphasized that it must be clarified whether there was involvement from these groups.
"At this moment we do not know whether or not there has been infiltration from the far right in these vandalistic acts. This will have to be said by the police."
Urtasun has criticized that the right and the far right are trying to gain political advantage from what happened, and he has condemned these events "without any 'but'."
In this line, he insisted on differentiating the disturbances from the mobilizations with legitimate political claims: "If someone intends to use these disturbances to criminalize the protest in favor of housing or in favor of Palestine, we will not allow it," he pointed out, referring to the leader of the PP, Alberto Núñez Feijóo.
Investigation on digital platforms
The minister has also demanded that, within the framework of the investigations into what happened on Saturday, it be clarified what the role and "responsibility" of the digital platforms was in the preparation of these acts.
In relation to police action, he pointed out that he has "no element to negatively assess the device that was put in place," and he recalled that the evaluation of this operation corresponds to the Conselleria de Interior of the Generalitat.