Dozens of demonstrators detained
Protests on Saturday night in different cities in Spain against the measures to contain the pandemic have turned into riots and clashes with police. As EFE reports on Sunday, one of these demonstrations took place in Madrid.
After protesting against restrictions in the centre of the Spanish capital, a group of protesters tried to block traffic in one of the city’s key streets by setting fire to bins and building barricades. The protesters also threw stones at shop windows. As a result, 32 people were detained and three policemen were injured.
The riots ended in the centre of Logroño, the capital of the Autonomous Community of Rioja. There about 150 people, mostly young people, threw stones at police officers, burned bins, blocked traffic on the roads, hit shop windows and looted some retail outlets. As a result, the police used force against the protesters, seven people were detained and seven law enforcement officers were injured. The riots also occurred in the other town of Rioja, Aro.
In the Autonomous Community of the Basque Country, protests took place in the towns of San Sebastian, Vitoria Gasteis and others. Four people were detained in Bilbao. Protests, which escalated into riots, have already taken place in other Spanish cities, including Barcelona, Burgos, Valencia, Malaga and the Autonomous Community of Cantabria.
“Only through responsibility, unity and sacrifice will we be able to defeat the pandemic”, – said Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Twitter. – “Aggressive and irrational behaviour by small groups is unacceptable. This is not an option”. The Prime Minister also thanked the law enforcement agencies for ensuring security.