Barcelona unrest: 128 detained, 73 of them minors

Police in Barcelona, the capital of Spain's Catalonia region, detained 128 people after unrest overnight into Sunday, 25 October, most of them minors. Catalan police said the arrests were made on suspicion of vandalism, damage to public property and looting. Fifteen police officers were injured during the disorder.

Videos posted online show groups of young people smashing up shops after gathering for an unauthorised event in the city centre, Deutsche Welle reports.

Who was detained

Silvia Cata, the head of the Catalan police, told the TV channel 3CatInfo that 73 of those detained were minors. Their cases will be passed to the juvenile prosecutor's office. Only two of the 128 had previously faced criminal charges.

How events unfolded

The unrest began on Saturday evening, 24 October, at around 18:00 and continued into the night. More than 220 officers from the Catalan regional police and Barcelona's municipal police were deployed to restore order. The specific aim of the disorder remained unclear. "This is senseless violence," the police chief said. According to her, the movement was "completely unorganised", and calls to take part spread online.

Salvador Illa, head of the Catalan government, condemned the violence. "There is no place for violence in Catalonia. Never. Protest is a democratic right. Attacks, intimidation and damage to property – no," he said.

Protests in other countries

A day earlier, on 24 October, protests also took place in several cities in France and Italy. Some of them escalated into violence and clashes with police. The high cost of living was cited among the reasons for the protests in those countries.