A total of 100 people were arrested in Barcelona on Saturday evening after hooded protesters taking part in an anti-establishment rally looted shops and set fire to street furniture around the Plaza de Catalunya in the center of the city.
Núria Parlon, interior minister for Spain’s Catalonia region, said about 25 percent of those arrested were minors. More than 30 fires were set and 14 stores vandalized or looted in an area of the city popular with tourists and weekend shoppers, she added.
Protesters were called in posts on social media a movement “against the system”. The messages also used the slogan “Institut Indignats”, a translation of the “Lycées Indignés” movement, used to rally students who have demonstrated in France in recent weeks. In English, the expression translates to “Indignant high school student”.
Videos on social media show people trapped inside stores, including the El Corte Inglés department store, after shutters were lowered to prevent looting. Other posts showed hooded and black-clad protesters kicking store windows and making off with merchandise, in some cases egged on by internet users.
Barcelona Mayor Jaume Collboni said acts of vandalism in the city “will not go unpunished”, including legal consequences for guardians of minors involved.
Gn world
