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Barcelona youth protest against 'the system' ends in looting and fires; 100 detained
A youth protest against 'the system' called for online in Barcelona, Spain, turned violent. Masked groups looted shops and started more than 30 fires, while police detained 100 people.
A youth protest against "the system" held in Barcelona, Spain, on Saturday evening quickly turned violent. Groups wearing masks and dressed in black looted shops around Plaça de Catalunya in the city center and set street furniture on fire.
The protest was promoted online under the name "Instituts Indignats" (Angry High Schools). The call, inspired by the "Lycées Indignés" student movement in France, had not been notified to the authorities. Housing costs and living conditions were among the protesters' main grievances.
Barricades and fires in the square
The incidents began in the afternoon at Plaça de Catalunya. Demonstrators built barricades from rubbish containers, bins and motorcycles where Bergara Street meets the square, then set them on fire. The glass at bus stops was smashed and a traffic light was damaged.
Groups throwing stones at police and using flares and fireworks later dispersed along busy nearby streets including La Rambla, Portal de l'Àngel and Ronda Universitat.
Shops looted
Footage shows masked groups entering an electronics store and taking products, while customers and employees inside fled.
Many businesses closed early, while some protected their shop windows. The Catalan press reported that the El Corte Inglés store in the square closed its doors while customers were still inside.
A jewelry store was also among the businesses looted. The incident was captured in a live broadcast from the scene.
Footage recorded throughout the night shows shop windows with broken glass, overturned and burned motorcycles, and firefighters tackling the blazes.
Police intervention
More than 10 units from Catalonia's Mossos d'Esquadra police and Barcelona's municipal Guàrdia Urbana police were deployed to the area. Riot police intervened to disperse the groups. Streets between Plaça d'Universitat and Plaça d'Urquinaona were closed, and access to the metro station in the city center was restricted.
One piece of footage shows a looter being caught while attempting to steal a resident's phone.
Protesters also attacked bicycles at the city's bike-sharing stations.
Catalonia's interior minister said more than 30 fires had been started and that 14 shops had been damaged or looted. Reuters reported that approximately 25% of the 100 people detained were minors.
"Protesting is a right, attacking is not"
Salvador Illa, president of the Government of Catalonia, condemned the violence, saying, "Protesting is a democratic right. Attacking, intimidating or causing harm is not," and thanked the Mossos d'Esquadra.
The group that had been camping in Plaça de Catalunya for weeks to demand the right to housing said it had no connection to the violence. Similar youth protests over the cost of living and housing problems have recently taken place in France, Belgium, Italy and Portugal.
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