One hundred people have been arrested in Barcelona after riots around the central Plaça Catalunya. Participants in an anti-establishment demonstration looted shops and set fire to public property, Reuters reported.
Catalonia's Interior Minister Nuria Parlon said that about 25 percent of those arrested were minors. The unrest caused more than 30 fires and 14 shops were vandalized in the area, frequented by both tourists and locals.
The protest was organized on social media
The demonstration was called for through social media posts as a movement “against the system“. It used slogans familiar from student protests in France in recent weeks.
Videos posted online showed people trapped in shops after shutters were pulled down to prevent looting. Among the affected stores was the “Corte Ingles“ department store. Other footage shows hooded protesters smashing shop windows and fleeing with goods.
Mayor warns of legal consequences
Barcelona Mayor Jaume Colboni said vandalism in the city "will not go unpunished". He warned that legal consequences could also follow for guardians of minors involved in the riots.
Sources: bta.bg