Barcelona Police Arrest 100 After Anti System Riots

Violent anti-establishment demonstrations in Barcelona on Saturday evening left shops vandalized or looted, street furniture burned and 100 people arrested, as hooded protesters gathered around the city's central Plaza de Catalunya. Catalan authorities said approximately one-quarter of those detained were minors, while the unrest affected an area popular with tourists and weekend shoppers.

Núria Parlon, the interior minister for Catalonia, said more than 30 fires were set and 14 stores were vandalized or looted. The arrests followed demonstrations promoted through social media as a movement opposing the existing political and social system.

Videos circulating on social media showed people breaking shop windows and removing merchandise. Other footage showed people trapped inside stores, including the department store El Corte Inglés, after security shutters were lowered to prevent looting.

Some online posts showed hooded demonstrators dressed in black kicking in storefront windows. The source reports also described instances in which people watching online encouraged the destruction and theft.

The demonstrations were promoted using the slogan "against the system," according to social media posts cited by The Jerusalem Post. The posts also used the phrase "Institut Indignats," an English translation of the French movement name "Lyceés Indignés," meaning "Indignant High School Student." The French movement has been associated with student protests in recent weeks.

The Barcelona unrest formed part of a wider wave of demonstrations reported in France and Spain on Saturday. In France, police made nearly 1,000 arrests during protests over the cost of living and school funding, according to The Times of India.

French demonstrations included clashes between protesters and riot police, with tear gas used in several locations. Some gatherings were organized by labor unions, while other protests were associated with the Yellow Vests movement. Authorities had banned at least one demonstration.

Images from French cities showed police detaining demonstrators amid clashes and protesters moving through smoke near fires. The unrest also involved damage to public property, according to the reports.

Barcelona Mayor Jaume Collboni said the city would pursue legal consequences for those responsible for vandalism, including the guardians of minors involved in the incidents.

"Acts of vandalism in the city will not go unpunished," said Jaume Collboni, the mayor of Barcelona.

The Catalan government's reported figures put the number of arrests in Barcelona at 100, with minors accounting for approximately 25% of those detained. Authorities also reported more than 30 fires and damage to or looting at 14 stores in the city center.