A cat for a hare at the 'therian' meeting in Barcelona

BarcelonaThere may not have been such a buzz on Barcelona's Passeig Lluís Companys since October 10, 2017, when the Catalan Parliament declared Catalonia's independence and then suspended it. This Saturday, the supposed reason for the gathering is a planned demonstration. therians —young people who identify and act like animals— at the Arc de Triomf. As then, today the prevailing feeling among the thousands of attendees is also that they've been tricked.

What's immediately apparent upon stepping onto Passeig Lluís Companys is that thousands of teenagers have heeded the call of social media to a fake gathering of therians. At the Arc de Triomf, no one feels a deep spiritual connection to a specific type of animal, but rather a lot of curious people—predominantly between 12 and 18 years old—and several agitators eager to seize the opportunity. There are also some television crews interviewing the first thing that happens when someone wears a mask.

All along the promenade, groups of teenagers with cell phones run up and down at the slightest shout from people claiming to have seen a therianWhen they manage to push their way through the crowd, however, the most they find is someone in costume laughing at the movement. The anxiety to capture something to upload to TikTok leads to mass stampedes, pushing, and some truly distressing moments.

The algorithm and the opportunists

But beyond what is obvious, what happened this Saturday afternoon offers some insights and raises many questions. For starters, it confirms the mobilizing power of social media among young people. Three days ago, practically none of them had heard of the therian And today—after the algorithm put them on thousands of phones—they were at the Arc de Triomf as if their lives depended on finding one. Then, it reveals a mass impulse against difference. Because beyond curiosity, aggressive messages are also heard toward them. therianWhen someone shouts that they see one, many people run after it. to hunt it

Among the questions, one stands out: who is behind these calls for gatherings? Besides Barcelona, ​​similar events have taken place this weekend in practically every provincial capital in Spain. Cities like Valladolid, Salamanca, Bilbao, and A Coruña have experienced scenes similar to those in Barcelona: hundreds of onlookers, heads therian

In several of these locations, the far-right Vox party appeared with tents on the edge. Also in Barcelona, ​​among the thousands gathered, some teenagers could be seen with Spanish flags and scarves, who, at times, shouted slogans in favor of Spain. With thousands of young people in one place and nothing to do, the opportunity to slip in your message is unique.

After 8:30 p.m., in fact, the Guardia Urbana (Barcelona's municipal police) and the Mossos d'Esquadra (Catalan police) had to intervene to clear the area. This led to some tense moments with the people who were still at the Arc de Triomf. After objects were thrown at the police cordon, at least one person was arrested.