Tens of thousands of people marching in Barcelona, Spain, on Monday 5 OCt. 2026, to protest the housing situatio. Photo AP/Emilio Morenatti
Barcelona police clash with protesters as looting, fires spread
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- Around 100 people were arrested after an anti-establishment gathering in Barcelona escalated into clashes with police on Saturday, Oct. 24.
- More than 30 fires were reported, while 14 shops were vandalised or looted around Plaça de Catalunya, according to Reuters.
- Footage showed burning barricades, damaged street furniture and hooded demonstrators confronting police.
- Catalan authorities said about a quarter of those arrested were minors.
Streets around Barcelona's central Plaça de Catalunya were engulfed in fires and clashes on Saturday after an anti-establishment gathering escalated into looting and confrontations with police, according to Spanish media and Reuters.
Footage shows burning barricades and fires on roads near the central square, where hooded demonstrators clashed with officers from Catalonia’s regional police force, the Mossos d’Esquadra.
Around 100 people were arrested during the unrest, with approximately a quarter of those detained being minors, Catalonia’s Interior Minister Núria Parlon said.
More than 30 fires were set and 14 businesses were vandalised or looted, Parlon said. Footage shared on social media also showed people trapped inside shops, including the El Corte Inglés department store, after businesses lowered their shutters to prevent looting.
The gathering was promoted on social media under the slogan “against the system” and the name “Institut Indignats,” inspired by the “Lyceés Indignés” movement associated with recent student protests in France.
According to Spanish news agency EFE, the unrest began at around 6 p.m. local time, prompting police to intervene and pursue groups that dispersed into surrounding streets. Authorities closed access to parts of the city centre, while shops shut their doors amid fears of further damage.
Barcelona Mayor Jaume Collboni condemned the vandalism and warned that those responsible would face legal consequences, including potential repercussions for the guardians of minors involved in the unrest, Reuters reported.
Catalan regional president Salvador Illa also condemned the violence, saying that the right to protest did not justify assaults, intimidation or property destruction.
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