Fourteen arrested for a student protest in Manresa days before the Blocus lootings

BarcelonaIt is not considered Blocus as such, but it was indeed the first indicator that student protests in France could be replicated in Catalonia. On October 21st, three days before the riots and looting that surprised everyone in Barcelona, similar events were also recorded in Manresa, albeit less severe, following a student protest. The demonstration was not called only through social media, nor did it have posters made with AI that have become popular lately, but it had several elements in common with Blocus, starting with the age of those involved —very young— and that they took the incidents in Paris as a reference. This Thursday, the Mossos d'Esquadra explained that they have already arrested 14 youths for these riots.

On the same day of the events, eight arrests were made in Manresa and the subsequent investigation has allowed for identifying and relating eight more youths to the incidents. In total, however, there are fourteen detainees, and not sixteen, because two of those involved are 12 and 13 years old and, therefore, are unaccountable. Of the total arrested, thirteen are minors. They are eleven boys and three girls. The police attribute to them crimes of public disorder, assault on authority agents, robbery with violence, and injuries. One of these minors, in fact, was arrested on October 21st in Manresa and was arrested again for the riots the following Saturday in Barcelona, three days later. Now, according to sources consulted by the ARA, he has entered a juvenile detention center.

Looting and barricades

Unlike what happened in Barcelona, the student mobilization had specific demands and proceeded with a certain degree of normality. In contrast, in the Catalan capital, the call was directly aimed at looting businesses. However, according to the police, once the mobilization had ended, a group of young people continued to cause incidents: they caused damage to street furniture, burned trash cans, made graffiti, and broke the windows of several establishments. They also moved dumpsters with the intention of blocking traffic and building a barricade.

Afterwards, the police explain, the youths entered a supermarket, where they overturned shelves and stole various items. They also shook and tried to open some parked vehicles, and another minor snatched a package from a home delivery worker.

Following the complaints collected and various investigations, the specialized group on juvenile and urban delinquency at the Manresa police station has identified and arrested these six more people. The investigation remains open and further arrests are not ruled out, according to the Mossos.