Unrest in Catalonia, one week on

In the days after the Supreme Court announced that it was sentencing 9 pro-independence leaders to up to 13 years for sedition, Catalonia experienced one of its most turbulent weeks ever, with many protests descending into nightly unrest.

Friday, October 18, coinciding with the general strike and hours after a peaceful protest of over half a million people, saw the biggest night of altercations in Barcelona, with the epicenter of it all being here, the area between Urquinaona and via Laietana.

That night alone there were 182 people injured and 54 arrests. 6 people who were injured last week throughout Catalonia remain hospitalized, including 3 people who lost an eye to rubber bullets and a Spanish police officer in critical condition.

As far as material damage suffered last week, the Barcelona city council has quantified it as amounting to over 3 million euros. 

1,044 dumpsters were burnt or damaged along with what is the equivalent of slightly under the area of the Camp Nou football stadium at 6,400 m2 of pavement and sidewalk, mainly due to barricades that were set on fire.

And yet, despite last week’s moments of turmoil, life in the city center goes on, and much of the damage has already been repaired.