COVID-19: Police Arrest 12 As Anti-lockdown Protests Turn Violent In Spain, Italy
Protests against new COVID-19 measures turned violent in Spain on Friday night as hundreds of demonstrators took to the streets, according to multiple Spanish media outlets.
At least 12 people, including two minors, were detained after “serious riots” erupted in the northeastern region of Catalonia in Spain, according to Catalonia’s Ministry of Interior.
“Tonight’s serious riots ended with 12 detainees [including two minors], 20 injured officers, at least two looted establishments… and several damaged police vehicles,” the Catalonian police said via Twitter early Saturday.
On Friday, the Catalonia region became one of at least 10 regions to close its borders to help fight Spain’s second wave of Covid-19. The existing closure of bars and restaurants in Catalonia has been extended for another 15 days, with shopping centers, cinemas, theatres, and gyms now ordered to close as well.
There were disturbances in several other cities on Friday night, including Burgos and Santander.
Spanish health authorities reported on Friday a record-breaking 25,595 new Covid-19 cases, bringing the total number to 1,185,678. The death toll reached 35,878 with 239 new deaths, according to official data.
Violent protests also erupted in Italy this week as cases hit a new daily record of more than 31,000 in 24 hours, according to figures released by the country’s health ministry on Friday.
Hundreds of protesters gathered in the historic center of Florence and clashed with the police on Friday night, the Florence police press office told CNN on Saturday.
Italian health official Gianni Rezza said that “there was no good news,” as the number of cases had reached 31,084, bringing the total to 647,674. The number of deaths increased by 199 to 38,321.
Numerous Italian regions are facing “critical risk,” according to a joint report by the Italian Health Ministry and Italian Health Institute released on Friday.
Lombardy — the worst hit during the pandemic — and Campania, the second most affected region, are among the 11 regions classified as at “high risk” of Covid-19 transmission.
