Four Irish men released on bail after being arrested for beating up taxi driver in Barcelona

The four Irish tourists arrested on Monday after allegedly beating up a taxi driver in Barcelona were released on bail on Tuesday.

A court in the southern city of Reus has ruled that the visitors must appear in court whenever necessary. Police are investigating the men for assault.

The events took place in the early hours of Monday morning as the tourists, who were visiting Barcelona, were about to take a taxi to Reus airport for their return flight. 

The tourists had originally arranged for a traditional taxi to pick them up from their hotel in Barcelona's Raval neighborhood, but changed their minds at the last minute and opted for a vehicle from a ride-hailing app such as Uber or Cabify.

When the conventional taxi arrived, the group of tourists were getting into another vehicle, which caused the taxi driver to get into a heated argument with them, insisting that the trip was rightfully his since they had booked him first.

Tensions escalated when the taxi driver stood in front of the private hire vehicle and prevented them from leaving. At that point, the four Irish men physically assaulted the taxi driver.