Nineteen people have been arrested after protests in Bilbao, northern Spain, turned into riots on the evening of October 26, even though the event the protesters had gathered to oppose never took place. Cars and rubbish containers were set on fire, fireworks were launched at police, and a police motorcycle was torched in the Deusto district, according to the Basque police force, the Ertzaintza.
What happened
The unrest followed a planned appearance by right-wing political commentator Vito Quiles near the University of Deusto, scheduled for 7 p.m. on October 26 as part of his nationwide tour ahead of Spain's general election on November 29. Quiles, often compared by Spanish media to the late American conservative activist Charlie Kirk, cancelled the talk about half an hour beforehand, citing security concerns, after the Ertzaintza warned him the risk of incidents would be "very high."
The University of Deusto had already suspended all campus activity from 2 p.m. and closed the site preventively at 3 p.m., saying the gathering was external to the institution, neither organised nor supported by it, and had not been authorised on its premises. Despite the cancellation, a crowd of young people, some masked and dressed in black, gathered in a square near the university, setting bins on fire and firing fireworks at officers. Police arrested 19 people on suspicion of arson and disturbing public order, and three more people are under investigation. Seven of those arrested are minors, and three others are 18 or 19 years old.
Two very different readings
Anti-fascist groups that announced the protest accused Quiles of spreading "hate speech," and argued that his appearance near a university campus was a provocation. Quiles, in turn, described the protesters as "former ETA members, street thugs and other criminals," referring to the now-dissolved Basque separatist organisation.
Political leaders lined up to condemn the violence. Alberto Nunez Feijoo, leader of the opposition Popular Party, blamed an "attempt at intimidation by the violent left" and promised that after the November 29 election there would be "a Government that guarantees order and security." The Basque security counselor, Bingen Zupiria, condemned the riots and pointed to "organized Basque groups" behind the incidents, warning that some young participants may have come to believe "the use of violence is justified." Basque minister Juan Ignacio Perez Iglesias said he did not consider the university's decision to close correct.
A wider wave of unrest
The Bilbao clashes followed a wave of unrest elsewhere in Spain this month, including housing protests in Madrid, demonstrations against the right-wing Vox party in A Coruna and Aviles, and riots in Barcelona, while France and Italy have also seen violent protests over rising living costs. With a general election five weeks away, the question now facing Spain is whether the scenes in Bilbao were a one-night flare-up, or a sign of a campaign season that will be fought, in part, on the streets.
Watch: Footage of the riots that erupted in Bilbao after the anti-far-right protest was dispersed
Music in this post's reel: Kevin MacLeod - Volatile Reaction (incompetech.com), licensed under CC BY 3.0
Sources: RussSpain, Vietnam.vn, El Constitucional