Youth gathering in Barcelona turns violent, 128 arrested

A total of 128 people, including 72 minors, were arrested after a social media-organised gathering of young people in central Barcelona, Spain, turned violent on Saturday, according to figures released on Sunday by the Mossos d’Esquadra, Catalonia’s regional police force.

The violence left 15 police officers injured, including 14 Mossos officers and one Barcelona municipal police officer. Four officers were seriously injured. Shops were damaged, street furniture was set on fire and participants clashed with police.

The gathering, which had not been notified to the authorities in advance, took place at Placa de Catalunya on Saturday evening, Spanish news agency EFE reported.

Most of the several hundred young people attending the event were dressed in black. The event followed calls circulating on TikTok and other social media and resembled recent protests in other European cities, particularly in France, some of which also turned violent.

Mossos chief commissioner Silvia Cata said in an interview with local media on Sunday that police had been monitoring the social media calls for several days but were still surprised by the participants’ “gratuitous violence,” particularly toward officers.

She described the participants as “completely disorganised”, saying they gathered at Placa de Catalunya and then split into groups of four to six, without putting forward any specific demands.

The Mossos said officers made “selective” use of foam projectile launchers during the unrest, citing the force of the attacks and the need to restore public order. The violent incidents continued until 10pm (8pm GMT) on Saturday, when the remaining fires on streets were extinguished.