Members of the National Police gathered in front of their headquarters in Palma yesterday in a show of support for colleagues dealing with violence in Barcelona.
There were calls for immediate reinforcements to be made by the interior ministry and for the use of “essential tools for public order”, such as water cannons.
Organised by police unions, there was also a demand for “forcefulness”. In combating “street terrorism”, police containment action is not enough. A city cannot be left in the “hands of the violent” for so many hours. There needs to be intervention where disturbances occur, and this has to be “with the same firmness that would be done in any other part of Spain”.
The police were given political support in the form of the leaders of the Partido Popular, Ciudadanos and Vox - Biel Company, Marc Pérez-Ribas, and Jorge Campos - who all attended the rally.
The disturbances in Barcelona over the past few nights were particularly violent, in terms of their duration, intensity and use of violence on the part of protestors, who were very aggressive toward the police.
Violent groups surrounded the central headquarters of the National Police in the Catalan capital, throwing objects, putting up barricades and setting fire to trash containers.
Journalists have also come under attack from protesters who have accused the media of “manipulating” their coverage of the civil unrest.