Barcelona Riots: 100 Arrested, 30-Plus Fires Set

About 100 people were arrested in Barcelona on Saturday evening, October 24, 2026, after hooded demonstrators at an anti-establishment rally looted shops and set fire to street furniture around Plaça de Catalunya. Catalonia interior minister Núria Parlon said roughly a quarter of those arrested were minors, more than 30 fires were set, and 14 businesses were vandalized or looted in an area popular with tourists and weekend shoppers. Social media videos showed people trapped inside shops including El Corte Inglés after shutters were lowered, and hooded demonstrators breaking windows and taking goods. Police reported containers set alight and stones thrown at officers. The rally was promoted online as a movement against the system under the slogan Institut Indignats, linked to recent French student protests. Barcelona Mayor Jaume Collboni said acts of vandalism "will not go unpunished," including legal consequences for guardians of minors. The same weekend saw large protests in France, clashes with tear gas and pepper spray in Brussels, and protests in Italian cities and Albania.