Mossos Say Blocus Is Weakened, Keep Top Alert for Nov. 11 Strike

The Mossos d’Esquadra (Catalonia’s police) believe the Blocus movement can no longer organize blockades of major roads for the Nov. 11 general strike. They still rate the day at level 4, the highest risk grade in their protocols, because radical groups are expected to gather in central Barcelona in the afternoon, according to Metrópoli Abierta.

For anyone in the city, the practical picture is a strike day with a large police presence and a possible flashpoint in the Eixample district after the evening march begins.

Why police consider Blocus weakened

Blocus was a big unknown for the Mossos after the looting and disturbances of Oct. 24. By the eve of the strike, the force’s internal assessment was that the platforms’ ability to paralyze main streets and strategic points in an organized way had been practically neutralized, the outlet reported, citing analysis the police shared with the media.

Officers attribute this to a steady trickle of arrests. The targets were people who ran and animated the movement’s digital channels for communication and coordination. Police commanders see the Oct. 24 blockades as a “very specific and strange” precedent, and say no stable structure or replacement leadership has emerged since the latest arrests.

As a result, the Mossos will treat Nov. 11 as a high-intensity general strike and have not set up a separate extraordinary operation aimed at Blocus.

The afternoon march and the level 4 alert

The main demonstration is called for 17:30, running between Jardinets de Gràcia and Casa Milà, better known as La Pedrera. Police expect a mixed crowd. They warn that libertarian elements and radical anarchist sectors plan to use the crowd as cover to clash with security cordons and harass public order units.

The Mossos are working on the assumption of level 4 because organized combative groups are expected to converge in the center during the afternoon. Police do not foresee added trouble at other sensitive spots such as Plaça de Catalunya, where they expect no serious disruption and no preventive orders to clear people out.

How many officers will be deployed

Barcelona will have about 1.500 officers out of more than 9.000 in the full deployment across Catalonia. The force has split the operation into four continuous shifts, covering the period from the night before until the day ends.

With the blockade networks dismantled, the Mossos say their tactical priority is to contain outbreaks of urban violence in the Eixample. They also want to stop the most aggressive groups from splitting the peaceful march and starting disturbances along the commercial and historic avenues of the center.

What this means for residents and visitors

The strike itself is classed as a general strike, and the police describe it as an atypical day. The heaviest security concentration is in the center of Barcelona in the late afternoon and evening, around the route between Jardinets de Gràcia and La Pedrera. Plaça de Catalunya is not expected to see serious incidents, according to the police assessment.

Related coverage from the same outlet adds context on the run-up. Collboni welcomed what he called the failure of Blocus in Barcelona and warned violent actors that the city would keep responding with all the necessary force. A police operation against the movement had also logged about a thousand identifications, and three of the minors arrested over Saturday’s disturbances were placed in closed-regime detention.

What to watch next

The 17:30 march is the next flashpoint. Police say any clashes are most likely to come from radical groups seeking confrontation with officers rather than from organized road blockades. The Mossos have not announced further measures beyond the deployment described, and their assessment of Blocus rests on their own analysis, which they shared with the press.

Source: Metrópoli Abierta