In Barcelona, police had prepared a dedicated point to process detainees and arrange transfers to police stations. It was used for just three arrests across Catalonia, most involving people with pending police requirements, according to police sources.
The wider operation, conducted on 31 October, involved more than 1,000 Mossos d’Esquadra officers, with over half deployed in Barcelona. Police identified 2,264 people across Catalonia: 1,800 by the Mossos and 464 by the Guardia Urbana de Barcelona, according to Interior and Public Security councillor Núria Parlon. In Barcelona, the two forces identified 1,440 people, most of them young people.
Officers issued 127 administrative reports in Barcelona relating to the seizure of potentially dangerous objects and substances. The regional tally was 181 such reports across Catalonia. Blocus was a preventive saturation operation aimed at identifying people who might join online calls to loot shops, following similar events a week earlier.
The calls to loot shops ended without incident in Catalonia. In central Barcelona, most shops near Plaça de Catalunya and Passeig de Gràcia lowered their shutters between 5pm and 6pm. Zara, Apple, Adidas and Bershka were among the large chains that closed, while some 24-hour supermarkets stayed open.
The operation followed unrest in Barcelona on 24 October, when Blocus-related online calls were linked to looting and clashes around Plaça de Catalunya, as well as fires. The Mossos opened an investigation into the anonymous accounts used to mobilize young people and whether the campaign had been created to facilitate criminal conduct.
Calls also circulated in Lleida and Badalona, as well as Igualada, Mataró, Girona, Terrassa, Gavà, Figueres and Castell-Platja d’Aro. A report updated on 1 November said Blocus activity had been detected in 18 towns across 11 autonomous communities, with the earliest identified message dating to 8 October. The network’s calls moved between platforms, including from Telegram to WhatsApp* (принадлежит Metа, которая признана экстремистской организацией и запрещена в РФ) groups; Telegram channels linked to Blocus were later closed following a request from the Mossos. By Saturday morning, officers had detected little activity in the chats, and many users had left them on their own initiative.
