Barcelona Police Clash with Left-Wing Protesters During National Day Rallies

Catalonia Diada Clashes and Police Deployments in Barcelona

The confrontations in Barcelona began on the evening of September 10 at the Fossar de les Moreres memorial, according to reporting by The Olive Press. The Mossos d’Esquadra, Catalonia’s regional police force, deployed a wide security cordon to separate roughly 500 supporters of the far-right, pro-independence party Aliança Catalana from an estimated 2,500 left-wing independence supporters. Tensions escalated when anti-fascist demonstrators attempted to breach the police barrier. According to The Olive Press, officers used batons to push back the crowd, resulting in three arrests and investigations into six other individuals for public disorder.

Disturbances continued into the following afternoon and evening on September 11, as reported by Pollar.news. Around 18:00, the far-right group Núcleo Nacional gathered near the Jacint Verdaguer monument under the banner “Catalanidad es Hispanidad,” drawing approximately 70 participants carrying modified Spanish flags. Seeking to counter this assembly, the Coordinadora Antifeixista de Barcelona and the Organización Juvenil Socialista organized a protest that halted circulation along Avinguda Diagonal. The Guàrdia Urbana estimated that roughly 1,500 people joined the anti-fascist march.

Mossos d’Esquadra Interventions and Property Damage Around Arc de Triomf

Aiming to keep the rival factions apart, the Brigada Mòbil of the Mossos d’Esquadra deployed approximately 20 riot vans and blocked off the neighboring streets. According to Pollar.news, police kettled the Núcleo Nacional members at the intersection of Carrer Mallorca and Carrer Roger de Flor, isolating them behind vehicle lines for just over an hour. Meanwhile, counter-protesters chanted slogans such as “No pasarán” and confronted the police perimeter, throwing stones, glass bottles, fireworks, and paint at officers.

Later in the evening, disturbances spread eastward toward the Arc de Triomf and Passeig de Sant Joan. From 20:00 onward, groups of hooded protesters set fire to waste containers and tossed metal street barriers into the flames near the junction of Passeig de Sant Joan and Ronda de Sant Pere. Pollar.news noted that approximately 1,000 people remained in the area around the burning bins. Mossos d’Esquadra riot units charged groups to secure the area and allow municipal firefighters to extinguish the blazes. Shortly after 21:20, around 200 demonstrators moved to the intersection of Passeig de Sant Joan and Carrer Ausiàs March, where they hurled patio chairs into the thoroughfare and set another dumpster ablaze before law enforcement officers moved in on foot and alongside vehicles to disperse the remaining assembly. Catalan police confirmed a total of eight arrests for public disorder during the Friday evening operations.

Broader Political Mobilisations and Historical Context

The confrontations coincided with larger political demonstrations across Catalonia on September 11. The Assemblea Nacional Catalana organized a combined series of demonstrations across Barcelona, Girona, and Amposta, registering an overall attendance of 57,000 participants, according to figures cited by Pollar.news. In central Barcelona, a separate march by Esquerra Independentista gathered between 1,100 and 8,000 people.

According to The Olive Press, this year’s Diada celebrations mark 50 years since the first major public commemorations following the end of Franco’s dictatorship. The annual holiday itself commemorates the fall of Barcelona to Bourbon forces in 1714. The 2026 demonstrations took place amid ongoing political debates regarding Spain’s 2024 amnesty law, the potential return of former president Carles Puigdemont, and the growing presence of far-right factions within the broader independence movement, punctuated by a speech from Aliança Catalana leader Sílvia Orriols accusing mainstream pro-independence politicians of inaction and collusion.