At least 128 people have been arrested in Barcelona, Spain, after a youth protest descended into violence, leaving 15 police officers injured and several businesses looted.
Catalan police chief Silvia Cata disclosed the arrests on Sunday, adding that 73 of those detained were minors whose cases would be referred to the juvenile prosecutor’s office.
The unrest began late Saturday afternoon around Plaça de Catalunya in central Barcelona, following a gathering attended by about 600 people, according to Spanish media reports.
The protest was reportedly promoted on social media under the slogan “Instituts Indignats”, in an attempt to bring the French youth movement “Lycéens Indignés” to Barcelona.
Protesters Loot Shops, Attack Police
Footage shared on social media showed groups of young people setting objects on fire, attacking businesses and taking goods from shops.
Protesters reportedly threw stones and other heavy objects at police officers, erected barricades, set rubbish bins alight and smashed shop windows.
Police subsequently moved to disperse the demonstrators, triggering clashes across nearby streets.
According to Spanish newspaper La Vanguardia, about 14 shops were looted during the unrest. Motorbikes, bicycles and bus shelters were also damaged.
The violence forced several businesses to close, while authorities restricted access to Plaça de Catalunya. Train services stopping at the station serving the square were also temporarily suspended.
Cata said only two of the arrested individuals had previous criminal records, describing the incidents as “gratuitous violence”.
She added that the gathering was “completely disorganised”, despite calls for participation spreading across social media. Police were examining the profiles of those detained, she said.
Barcelona Authorities Condemn Violence
Barcelona Mayor Jaume Collboni condemned the violence and said the city council would join legal proceedings to ensure those responsible were held accountable for the damage.
“This will not be left as it is. We will go all the way,” he said.
Collboni also warned that parents or legal guardians of minors involved in the unrest could face consequences.
Salvador Illa, president of the government of Catalonia, condemned the violence while defending the police response.
“Protesting is a democratic right,” Illa said, stressing that violence could not be justified under the right to demonstrate.
Catalonia’s interior minister, Núria Parlon, also described the incidents as “gratuitous violence and vandalism”, arguing that those responsible were not defending a legitimate cause.
Officials further distanced the unrest from a housing rights encampment that has occupied Plaça de Catalunya for several weeks.
Protests Spread Across Europe
The violence in Barcelona comes amid unrest in several European countries, including France, Italy and Albania.
In France, 1,000 people were arrested on Saturday as protests over economic grievances returned to major cities.
The Barcelona incident has prompted renewed condemnation from regional and city authorities, who have vowed to pursue accountability for the damage caused during the clashes.
