Jerusalem Post/World News

More than 30 fires were set, and 14 stores were vandalized. Núria Parlon, the interior minister for the Spanish region of Catalonia, said that around 25% of those arrested were minors.

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Demonstrators clash with riot police at a protest calling for political action to address Spain's housing crisis in Barcelona, Spain, October 5, 2026.
Demonstrators clash with riot police at a protest calling for political action to address Spain's housing crisis in Barcelona, Spain, October 5, 2026.(photo credit: NACHO DOCE/REUTERS)ByREUTERSOCTOBER 25, 2026 01:28

A total of 100 people were arrested in Barcelona on Saturday evening after hooded demonstrators who participated in an anti-establishment rally looted shops and set fire to street furniture around the city's central Plaza de Catalunya.

Núria Parlon, the interior minister for the Spanish region of Catalonia, said around 25% of those arrested were minors. More than 30 fires were set and 14 stores vandalized or looted in a part of town popular with tourists and weekend shoppers, she added.

Demonstrators were called in social media posts to a movement "against the system." The posts also used the slogan "Institut Indignats," a translation of the movement "Lyceés Indignés," which was used to rally students who have protested in France in recent weeks. In English, the phrase translates as "Indignant High School Student."

A demonstrator is restrained by riot police during a protest calling for political action to address Spain's housing crisis in Barcelona, Spain, October 5, 2026.
A demonstrator is restrained by riot police during a protest calling for political action to address Spain's housing crisis in Barcelona, Spain, October 5, 2026. (credit: NACHO DOCE/REUTERS)

Looters dressed in black vandalize city

Social media videos show people trapped inside shops, including department store El Corte Inglés, after shutters were lowered to prevent looting. Other posts showed hooded demonstrators dressed in black kicking in shop windows and making off with goods, in some cases encouraged by online viewers.

Barcelona Mayor Jaume Collboni said acts of vandalism in the city "will not go unpunished," including legal consequences for the guardians of any minors involved.

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Source: The Jerusalem Post · REUTERS

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