Barcelona police detained 18 people, including 10 minors, after unrest near Arc de Triomf during alternative Diada events. Officers intervened as masked groups set containers on fire and confronted law enforcement. Nine officers sustained minor injuries.
Unrest broke out at Barcelona’s Arc de Triomf during Catalonia’s Diada. Police detained 18 people, 10 of them minors, after masked demonstrators set containers on fire and clashed with officers. Nine police officers suffered minor injuries as thousands gathered nearby for official celebrations. Several independent Catalan media outlets reported that most arrests followed protesters’ attempts to break through the police cordon, prompting a forceful response from Mossos d'Esquadra.
Most arrests took place around Arc de Triomf, where about 200 hooded individuals disrupted the evening by setting street containers alight and confronting Mossos d'Esquadra. Police detained 17 people at the scene while moving to restore order. During the night, protesters also threw barriers into the flames, leading to further clashes with riot police. Another arrest took place at Plaça de Catalunya after a major independence rally organized by the Assemblea Nacional Catalana and Òmnium Cultural. Mossos reported that officers were targeted with stones and bottles, as well as fireworks and paint. Their basic goal, they said, was to prevent direct clashes between opposing groups.
Police in Barcelona also operated at several other locations throughout the city that day, pointing to a wider pattern of incidents linked to Diada rather than an isolated episode.
Tensions that day extended beyond pro-independence groups. Police also intervened at a separate demonstration by Núcleo Nacional, a Spanish nationalist group, at the Jacint Verdaguer monument. When antifascist counter-protesters tried to block the gathering, officers stepped in to prevent a direct clash, prompting further police charges. Police estimated that about 70 people attended the Núcleo Nacional event. Mossos separated the groups to avoid escalation.
Despite the incidents, most Diada celebrations were peaceful. The Guardia Urbana estimated that about 45,000 people attended the basic independence march, while organizers claimed 130,000. As several local news sources have noted, the gap between the estimates reflects the ongoing debate over support for Catalan independence. Most attendees avoided confrontation, and the violence remained isolated.
Earlier in the week, police separated Aliança Catalana supporters from antifascists during a xenophobic event at Fossar de les Moreres. Three people were detained and released with charges, while several others were investigated for public order offenses, a pattern seen in previous years. A recent report described similar outcomes after police interventions at politically charged gatherings in Barcelona.
The events at Arc de Triomf reflect ongoing volatility around Catalonia’s national day, particularly when alternative groups or fringe movements gather alongside official commemorations. Most Diada activities pass without incident, but recurring outbreaks of violence, often involving minors, remain a challenge for police and organizers. This year, authorities acted quickly to prevent more serious escalation, but the arrests and minor injuries point to unresolved tensions surrounding Catalonia’s annual celebration.
