Three remanded without bail after Barcelona general strike riots

Violence after the strike march

Disorder broke out in central Barcelona on Wednesday, 11 November 2026, after the main march of the general strike had ended and its organisers had closed it. According to El Mundo, groups that police described as 'antisystem' and very violent, dressed in black and with their faces covered, started the trouble at the corner of Passeig de Gràcia and Plaça de Catalunya in front of an Apple store. A fire was lit at the store's entrance and explosives were used to get inside, until riot officers stopped a large crowd from advancing toward Passeig de Gràcia. The clashes then spread across Plaça de Catalunya, with burning bins, barricades, smashed street furniture and broken shop windows across the area.

Protesters set off high-power fireworks against the police line, and molotov cocktails were thrown at the Apple and H&M stores, according to El Mundo. Police seized two explosives from two minors who were detained and who had intended to use them during the disorder. In total, 36 police officers were injured, seven of them on leave.

Arrests and court decisions

Police arrested 52 people in connection with the disorder on Wednesday, 46 adults and six minors, according to El Periódico. Of the adults, 32 are men and 14 are women, while all the minors are boys, and the average age of the 52 is 24. On Thursday, 12 November, courts in Barcelona released 16 of them provisionally, and seven of those were barred from attending demonstrations.

On Friday, 13 November, 26 more appeared before the courts. The Tribunal Superior de Justicia de Catalunya (TSJC) reported that they were brought before courts 29, 30 and 31 in Barcelona. Three of those 26 were placed in provisional prison without bail, while the other 23 were released with measures such as periodic court appearances. The cases are open for damage, attack on authority and public disorder, among other offences, and 42 of the 52 have now been brought before a judge.

Earlier arrests and the Blocus link

Two of the 52 detainees had already been arrested in connection with a Blocus call on 24 October in Barcelona. One was a minor who was under an order keeping him away from demonstrations. The other is an adult man who was arrested again this time for public disorder and attack on an officer. El Mundo reports that the Mossos d'Esquadra, Catalonia's police force, ruled out that the Blocus movement, which had taken place in late October, was behind Wednesday's violence. The rioters were described as not linked to Blocus, apart from those two exceptions.

Remanded without bail3

Released with court appearance requirements23

Remanded without bail

3 people

Released with court appearance requirements

23 people

Data from the article text

Legal challenge

The legal network Alerta Solidària said prosecutors had asked for custody for several people, and that a protester from Castelló was also remanded in custody for attack on authority. The network described the prison requests as an abuse and a serious error. It said the approach reflects a response from the Govern to a situation of strong social tension that calls for solutions rather than repression. Alerta Solidària announced an appeal to the Audiencia Provincial de Barcelona and said a joint public response from all the parties involved is being prepared, without giving a date for it.