THOUSANDS of anti-fascist protesters took to the streets of A Coruña on Wednesday, with rubbish bins set ablaze, barricades erected and roads closed as clashes with riot police erupted over a rally by far-right party Vox.
Firefighters were repeatedly called out to extinguish fires across the Galician city, while several people were injured during the confrontations.
The unrest followed an appearance by Vox leader Santiago Abascal, who held a political event in Maria Pita square as part of the party’s pre-election campaign in Galicia.
Around 5,000 people attended an earlier anti-fascist demonstration, according to the city council, with two protesters arrested as tensions escalated and police charged at demonstrators.
— La Voz de A Coruña (@vozcoruna) October 21, 2026? Más imágenes que nos llegan de la quema de contenedores de basura en el centro de A Coruña tras la manifestación contra las cargas policiales
? M. Míguez pic.twitter.com/y3cbojErcb
Although Abascal and his supporters had already left the square when the clashes began, the unrest continued into the evening.
Images circulating on social media showed protesters throwing stones and other objects at officers, while rubbish bins were set alight and makeshift barricades erected across the city.
But witnesses and protest organisers accused police of using disproportionate force, claiming officers charged indiscriminately at demonstrators, many of whom they said were peaceful.
Later in the evening, groups called for another protest at 8pm outside the Government Sub-delegation, although the demonstration had not been formally notified to the authorities.
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Protesters marched towards the Government Delegation before returning to the Sub-delegation, prompting authorities to close access roads into the city and the exit via Avenida do Porto.
Clashes broke out again as demonstrators returned, with riot police charging at the crowd and protesters throwing objects, including flares.
Several people were injured, while firefighters continued tackling fires even after the last protesters had left shortly after 11pm.
The Government Delegation in Galicia condemned the violence in a statement issued late on Wednesday.
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— JUPOL (@JupolNacional) October 21, 2026Hay políticos que hoy están justificando esto…
Desde JUPOL queremos enviar TODO NUESTRO APOYO a nuestros compañeros de la #UIP que hoy han trabajado en La Coruña. ?????
Reiteramos nuestra petición de dimisión de Pedro Blanco, delegado del Gobierno en Galicia. Lo ocurrido podría… pic.twitter.com/B30LAnSWME
“The Government Delegation condemns any type of violence, respects the right to demonstrate recognised in the Constitution and acknowledges the work carried out by the State Security Forces and Corps,” it said.
Partido Popular leader Alberto Nuñez Feijoo, who is from the area, voiced his support for the police on Thursday, writing on social media: “Galicia is not like this.”
He added that ‘violence has no place in a democracy’, sharing footage apparently showing several protesters hitting an injured police officer.
However, the video circulating online had been cut at the beginning, omitting the moment an officer appears to push a young man down a flight of stairs.
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— Alberto Núñez Feijóo (@NunezFeijoo) October 22, 2026Galicia no es así.
Todo el apoyo a los coruñeses y a las Fuerzas y Cuerpos de Seguridad del Estado. No se merecen esto.
En democracia la violencia no tiene cabida. https://t.co/AWQqvv2Q2B
PP secretary-general Miguel Tellado also condemned the unrest, expressing solidarity with Abascal and warning that encouraging street confrontations could have serious consequences.
Meanwhile, the Galician Nationalist Bloc (BNG), the main opposition force to the PP in Galicia, criticised the police response and called on prime minister Pedro Sanchez’s government to explain what had happened.
Abascal’s rally was his first pre-election event in Galicia, where Vox currently has no political representation, including at municipal level.
A further gathering of around 2,000 people took place outside the Government Sub-delegation later on Wednesday to protest against the police response.
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