Barcelona Strike Riots: 52 Arrested, 36 Mossos Officers Injured

Catalonia’s police, the Mossos d’Esquadra, say about 500 people took part in the violence that ended Barcelona’s Nov. 11 general strike, out of the tens of thousands who joined the march. Interior councillor Núria Parlon and Mossos chief commissioner Sílvia Catà gave the toll on Thursday: 52 people arrested, 36 officers injured and about ten businesses vandalized, according to El Nacional.

Two of the shops, Apple and H&M on Passeig de Gràcia, were attacked with Molotov cocktails. The Mossos have an open investigation and expect more arrests in the coming hours or days.

How the night unfolded on Gran Via and Passeig de Gràcia

The first flashpoint came on Gran Via, just as the unions called off the march. A group of hooded people recognized several plainclothes Mossos officers and attacked them. The BRIMO (Brigada Mòbil, the Mossos’ riot unit) moved in to pull the officers out. The hooded group then turned on the riot line, and the officers fell back.

Most of the attacks took place on the stretch of Passeig de Gràcia between Gran Via and Plaça de Catalunya. Officers were hit with stones, incendiary devices and fireworks fired straight at their line.

The Mossos say the fireworks worry them most. Officers were struck by rockets and saw batteries of fireworks aimed at them. The police say this tactic has spread across Europe, and they had told officers to alert the TEDAX (the explosives disposal specialists) if they found modified pyrotechnic material during identity checks and searches. They also seized two Molotov cocktails from two detained minors and recorded so-called MacGyver devices that explode like a firecracker. Of the 36 injured officers, seven are still on sick leave, according to Catà.

Who was arrested

Of the 52 detainees, 46 are adults (32 men and 14 women) and six are minors, all boys. Their average age is 24. Depending on the case, they face allegations of attacking officers, public disorder, injuries and robbery with force. The Mossos, as usual, did not give their nationalities.

Two of the detainees, one adult and one minor, had already been arrested over the Blocus disturbances of Oct. 24. The Mossos said the overall profile of those held on Nov. 11 differs from the people arrested on that earlier date.

Shops had been flagged as targets

Reports from the Mossos’ intelligence unit had for days listed Passeig de Gràcia shops among likely targets, with the risk of incidents rated 4 out of 4, the maximum. El Nacional reported on Wednesday that when the first hooded people began smashing windows, public order units were in surrounding streets. The attackers had time to break the glass, enter the shops and take goods. About twenty minutes of damage had passed by the time BRIMO vans drove up the avenue toward Plaça de Catalunya to break up the groups.

Parlon and Catà said on Thursday that the operation worked. In their account, the Mossos concentrated on protecting people still in the area, which allowed the 52 arrests. On the lower part of Passeig de Gràcia, officers used foam-projectile launchers to disperse groups throwing stones. A water cannon was in Barcelona but was not used, because of how the night developed.

Incidents outside Barcelona

In Girona, where the march drew thousands of people, bank branches were covered in graffiti and had their windows smashed. The same happened in Manresa. In Tarragona, the Mossos fired foam projectiles at a group trying to disrupt a Vox event with Santiago Abascal at the Palau de Congressos. The event went ahead without problems.

What this means for the city

The Mossos say the attackers were organized, had clear targets and wanted to create fear and chaos, judging by the material they used against police. Parlon called those responsible criminals.

The police also said they have detected rising tension and expect it to grow. Parlon implicitly criticized Carme Arcarazo, spokesperson for the Sindicat de Llogateres (Tenants’ Union), who told reporters on Wednesday that evictions are also violence. Further arrests are expected as the investigation continues.

Source: go.eln.cat