Riots and looting spread to Barcelona, Spain, on Saturday evening as local youths sought to imitate the unrest seen in France and other European nations in recent weeks, apparently motivated by little more than a desire to cause destruction and loot stores.

Hundreds of mostly young, hooded teenagers dressed in black descended upon the city centre of Barcelona on Saturday afternoon, destroying street furniture, clashing with police, and looting shops, the local Vanguardia newspaper reported.

According to the paper, the initial protest, called under the vague pretence of fighting “against the system”, was organised on social media and not approved by city authorities.

However, the report noted that some businesses seemed to know what was coming, as they closed early and locked their doors, sometimes even trapping shoppers inside.

Meanwhile, rioters used rocks to damage bus shelters, set fire to trash cans, and used fireworks and other flares to attack police. Others made makeshift barricades on the street by piling up city bicycles.

One youth rioter was quoted as saying: “People were bored at home and came here, like in France.”

Another said: “We’re not protesting about anything, there’s nothing left to protest about.”

A third was heard shouting: “Let’s all go to Foot Locker!” suggesting that they loot the American sneaker store. However, the rioters reportedly failed to enter the shop, which had been shut down earlier.

Vanguardia reporter Toni Ayala remarked: “It was all very cinematic. Some spoke Arabic; others, French; others, Spanish; Others, Catalan… were like a small Tower of Babel of young people eager for fun, for something new, for something tempting, for something different that would take them out of their monotony, according to the conversations.”

“From inside, you could see the flames of the bonfires. The fire of a strange revolution that basically sought to get free sneakers,” he added.

The head of the local Catalonia government, Salvador Illa, said that the violence witnessed on Saturday “has no place” in Barcelona and that there “is no cause” that justifies such actions.
“Whoever protests exercises a right. Whoever assaults or destroys violates it. And that deserves unequivocal condemnation. We will ensure that whoever does it pays for it,” he said.

Catalan police have confirmed that they have made arrests but have yet to specify how many rioters were detained at the time of this report.

The unrest comes amid nationwide demonstrations across France on Saturday, which have so far resulted in over 1,000 arrests. Meanwhile, violent scenes have also broken out in Brussels, Belgium and Milan, Italy, in recent weeks as youths seek to imitate the French movement.

Follow Kurt Zindulka on X: Follow @KurtZindulka or e-mail to: [email protected]