Spanish police make 128 overnight arrests in Barcelona for 'looting': authorities

Police in Barcelona arrested 128 people overnight following acts of vandalism, damage to public property, and looting, the regional Catalan police reported on Sunday. Seventy-three of those detained were minors, and their reports will be sent to the juvenile prosecutor's office, according to Catalan police chief Silvia Cata. Footage on social media captured groups of young people, many dressed in all-black, attacking businesses after a rally that had not been authorized by authorities.

The unrest echoes a trend across Europe, where France, Italy, and Albania have also witnessed protests turn violent.

Cata revealed that only two of the 128 individuals arrested had prior criminal records, and a total of 15 officers sustained injuries during the night. She emphasized that the violence was "gratuitous," noting that 23 premises were vandalized. The movement appeared disorganized, but the call to rally had spread rapidly via social media, Cata added. Police are working to analyze the profiles of those in custody.

Catalonia's regional president, Salvador Illa, called for an end to violence in a post on X, demanding that rioters face consequences for their actions. The right-wing opposition leader, Alberto Nunez Feijoo, also called for change in Spain following the election, asserting that coexistence requires responsibility and not enabling those who threaten it.