Madrid, Bilbao, Barcelona and Valencia shops protect windows from the threat of possible disturbances

ANDcommercial establishments in the centre of Madrid, Bilbao, Barcelona and Valencia are today protecting the windows against the threat of possible disturbances and assaults caused by new calls from the Blocus platform at different points in Spain.

On Halloween and the eve of the holiday of All Saints, which is celebrated on Sunday, traders chose to protect the establishments in a preventive way, fearing the repetition of the disturbances that occurred last Saturday, day 24, in Barcelona, episodes that resulted in 133 arrests and the identification of more than 600 people.

In the last few hours, at least 10 people have been arrested for inciting the practice of pillage, calling on young people to join the protests using weapons and manufacturing ‘cocktails molotov’.

The arrests took place in Bilbao, Málaga, Tenerife and Valencia, where a 20-year-old is accused of being a “founder and main driver” of the Blocus movement Spain, having been arrested on Friday in the locality of Picanya, it is expected that it will be present today in court, according to sources from the Civil Guard to the EFE agency.

In the area known as “Milha de Ouro” in Madrid, luxury brand stores such as Prada, Loewe, Miu Miu and Rabat, as well as others such as Maison du Monde and Aristocracy, protected the windows from the new appeals of this anonymous platform, which calls on young people to star in riots and looting.

According to the EFE news agency, some of these establishments were already prepared for possible attacks early this Saturday, while officials were working elsewhere to install wood panels to avoid looting, similar to those registered last week in Barcelona or other cities of France.

In Madrid, commerce is preparing not only on Serrano Street, but also on the neighbouring roads of Goya, Jorge Juan and Ortega y Gasset, as well as elsewhere, as is the example of Alcalá Street. There, luxury brands, such as the historic Ansorena jewelry store, also protected glass windows preventively.

Some establishments have anticipated closure at 3:00 p.m. or 6:00 p.m., while others remain alert, waiting for events to unfold in the next few hours.

In Barcelona, the Mossos d’Esquada will today mobilize a maximum level security device in the face of a new Blocus call, a group that last Saturday caused chaos in the Catalan capital. Therefore, level 4 alert was activated, the highest level established, in anticipation of a “combative” demonstration in which many people could again commit crimes.

In northern Spain, traders in the centre of Bilbao and San Sebastián are also protecting the windows against the threat of possible looting and disturbances encouraged on social networks by the Blocus group on a weekend of about 20 demonstrations in the Basque Country.

In this regard, the United States Embassy in Madrid recommended to its compatriots that they avoid gatherings, before summons for acts of vandalism, linked to the platform Blocus and spread on social networks, for Halloween, which is marked tonight, and the holiday of All Saints, which is celebrated on Sunday.

In a message on Social Network X, the embassy mentioned “manifestations that were announced, including those of October 31,” as well as “other spontaneous protests”, to alert Americans in Spain to strengthen their security measures in the face of possible disturbances.