Protest in Spain [Credit: Al Jazeera]
No fewer than 100 people were arrested in Spain on Saturday after an anti-establishment rally turned into violence, resulting in the burning and looting of more than a dozen stores in the city of Barcelona.
Spain’s interior minister for the Spanish region of Catalonia, Núria Parlón, said that an estimated 25 per cent of those arrested were minors after over 30 fires were set by the suspects.
Reports noted that videos showed demonstrators wearing balaclavas kicking in shop windows and making off with goods, while some people were seen trapped in their stores after the shutters were lowered to prevent looting.
Barcelona Mayor Jaume Collboni vowed the individuals who were arrested by law enforcement officers in the city “will not go unpunished,” while vowing repercussions for parents and guardians of the minor suspects.
The demonstrations in Spain followed a call on social media asking people to come out to protest “against the system,” similar to the motivation behind student protests in France that have been going on for weeks.
The French interior ministry said nearly 1,000 people were arrested across France on Saturday as a wave of protests airing economic grievances returned to the streets of its major cities.
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