BARCELONA — Spanish police intervened Saturday after youth-led demonstrations in central Barcelona turned violent, with protesters looting shops, setting trash containers on fire and throwing stones and bottles at security forces.
Hundreds of young people dressed in black gathered at Catalonia Square following calls to demonstrate circulated on social media under the Catalan-language hashtag “Institut Indignats.”
The movement was inspired by the Lycees Indignes campaign, which has organized student protests across France in recent weeks.
The demonstration escalated when some protesters began vandalizing businesses, setting fire to trash containers and throwing objects at police officers, prompting security forces to intervene.
Following the police response, demonstrators dispersed into smaller groups, with further clashes reported in nearby streets. Several people were reportedly injured, while others were detained.
The unrest unfolded in central Barcelona near a protest camp established several weeks earlier to demand housing rights, an area frequented by large numbers of residents and tourists.
Barcelona’s municipal police, known as the Guardia Urbana, announced the closure of several streets in the city center following the disturbances.
Businesses in the affected areas lowered their shutters to protect their premises from potential damage.
Catalan regional government President Salvador Illa condemned the violence and vandalism, warning that those responsible would face consequences.
“An attack, a threat or an act of causing damage is not a democratic right. Anyone who does this will pay the price,” Illa wrote on X.
He stressed that violence had no place in Catalonia and that there was no justification for such actions.
Source: Saudi Gazette