VIOLENT clashes with the police were witnessed in various parts of Spain, including normally quite regions such as La Rioja and Cantanbria, over the weekend and it looks like they are going to become a regular weekend event with similar riots spread across Europe.
One can understand some people getting increasingly frustrated by the extension and introduction of new lockdowns and restrictions but civil disobedience is not going to solve the matter, it certainly is not going to defeat the virus. All it will do is make society at large and the vast majority who are adhering to the rules and regulations, even more nervous and uncomfortable.
But, it appears there is more to the riots than a simple outcry from people who are tired of the situation.
Regional police in Barcelona warned on Friday, for example, that “very violent and organized far-right groups” were behind demonstrations in that city.
In Madrid, demonstrators chanted slogans including, “Stop the political mafia, stop the dictatorship, Madrid says enough,” and “Madrid is being ruined.” Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez condemned the behavior of the rioters as “violent and irrational” but the far right have seized upon an opportunity to unsettle the country and political status quo, sadly now is not the time.