Leftist protestors clash with police in Barcelona (Picture: Azer News)
After a weekend of violent protests and street riots police in Barcelona are preparing for a fresh outbreak of civil unrest on Halloween. Throughout yesterday and today online groups used called for more violence and looting following weekend unrest that led to 130 arrests.
The warnings follow riots in Barcelona on Saturday and further disturbances on Monday in the northern city of Bilbao, where around 20 people were arrested.
A crowd of young people gathered in central Barcelona on Oct. 24 following a social media campaign promoted under the name Blocus. At least 23 businesses were looted or vandalized, while firefighters extinguished 33 small fires, authorities said. Of those arrested, 76 were minors.
A Telegram group operating under the name Blocus BCN has since circulated messages calling for another gathering on Oct. 31, encouraging participants to wear black clothing and Halloween masks to avoid police identification.
Promotional material also cited recent protests in France as an inspiration in calling for more protests and activism.
The Youth-led protests that began in France and have been gathering momentum since mid September have now spread across western Europe, also reaching Italy, Belgium, Portugal and other countries, with Germany preparing for coordinated demonstrations in 21 cities on Halloween, 31 October. While some of the groups involved in organising the unrest are demanding better treatment for migrants, others are citing mass immigration as one of their main concerns.
Rising living costs, housing insecurity, education problems and concerns over the possible introduction of compulsory military service have fuelled the movement, with young people increasingly using social media to organise protests across national borders, South Korea-based Chosun Biz reported.
Mainstream media in Europe have inexplicably ignored the rising tide of civil unrest. It is bizarre that a Korean news organisation seems to know more about what is going on in Germany that any of Germany's own news services.
The Korean report warned that on 31 October, the youth group Gen Z stands up (Gen Z steht auf) has nade plans for simultaneous rallies in major German cities, including Berlin and Cologne.
The German demonstrations will build on grievances raised by French students, while adding opposition to military conscription. Germany suspended conscription in 2011 but a new Military Service Act introduced in January this year requires all 18-year-old men to complete a survey on their willingness to serve.
Videos promoting the German protests have spread rapidly on social media sites, with some attracting more than one million views within days. One widely viewed video cited conscription, high fuel prices, difficulties finding housing and jobs, and pension issues, declaring, "The French showed us first, so we'll follow."
While most posts call for peaceful demonstrations, some reportedly encourage violence and use artificial intelligence-generated images to express hopes of unrest similar to that seen in France.
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