Police intervene as youth protests in Barcelona turn violent
- Gathering at Catalonia Square, some demonstrators loot shops, set fires, and throw stones and bottles at security personnel
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- Gathering at Catalonia Square, some demonstrators loot shops, set fires, and throw stones and bottles at security personnel
By Senhan Bolelli and Gizem Nisa Demir
MADRID / ISTANBUL (AA) – Spanish police intervened Saturday after protests organized by young people in Barcelona turned violent.
Hundreds of young people dressed in black gathered at Catalonia Square following a call to protest that circulated on social media under the Catalan-language hashtag "Institut Indignats," inspired by the Lycees Indignes movement, which has led student protests in France in recent weeks.
Some demonstrators looted shops, set trash containers on fire, and threw stones and bottles at security personnel, leading police to intervene.
Following police action, protesters dispersed in groups. Clashes between police and demonstrators were reported on side streets, with some people injured and others detained.
The incidents took place in the center of Barcelona, very near a protest camp set up with tents several weeks ago to demand housing rights, amid large crowds of residents and tourists.
Barcelona's municipal police, the Guardia Urbana, announced that the city center had closed several streets after the unrest. Many shops lowered their shutters to prevent potential damage.
Salvador Illa, president of the Catalan regional government, condemned the violence and vandalism.
"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 US social media company X.
He added that violence has no place in Catalonia and that there is no justification for it.
Şenhan Bolelli