Clashes and arrests on another night of disturbances in Barcelona
Around 30 arrests after thousands gathered on Bogatell beach during La Mercè celebrations
Catalan police have made around 30 arrests after another night of disturbances and clashes with party-goers after the La Mercè celebrations in Barcelona.
On Saturday night, thousands of people had gathered on Bogatell beach and riots began late into the night after most people had already left the vicinity.
At around six in the morning, some violent groups caused damage to restaurants in the area, burned motorcycles on the ring road Avinguda del Litoral just beside the beach, and threw bottles at the police forces.
Throughout the night, local Barcelona police and medical services had to attend to various injuries after fights and robberies from the same group.
The director-general of the Mossos d'Esquadra Catalan police forces, Pere Ferrer, called the arrests “qualitative” because many had been arrested on the scene of past forceful and violent robberies.
Ferrer explained to Catalunya Ràdio that, with the use of drones and plainclothes officers, they were able to carry out a "controlled extraction" of people in a looted restaurant around Bogatell.
The Catalan police chief also said there were 39 people treated by the medical services, but none seriously, and that it had been "a night with fewer incidents than the previous one, without a doubt."
On Friday night, around 40,000 people gathered for a mass on-street drinking party on Plaça Espanya and the adjoining street Avinguda Maria Cristina.
The night saw serious clashes between revellers and police, with around 20 arrests made, 43 people treated for injuries, and damages done to the Fira de Barcelona congress hall and nearby vehicles.
A "turning point" for the city
Deputy mayor Albert Batlle, who oversees safety and prevention in the Catalan capital, described the "extremely violent" clashes seen at La Mercè as a "turning point" for the city.
Speaking to Catalunya Ràdio on Monday morning, the councilman admitted that the size of the street parties in the Plaça Espanya area had caught authorities by surprise but argued that easing restrictions on the nightlife sector, which can currently only open outdoor seating areas until 3 am, would not have prevented the unrest.