After France and Italy, Riots and Looting Hit Barcelona (Video)

Violent clashes erupted in central Barcelona on Saturday during a youth protest organized via social media and inspired by student demonstrations witnessed in France; this resulted in the arrest of about 100 people, nearly a quarter of whom were minors, according to official figures.

The area surrounding Catalonia Square saw riots that included burning trash containers, setting up burning barricades, smashing storefronts, and looting 14 shops, according to Spanish press reports.

The confrontations began late Saturday afternoon after young men, some of whom were masked, vandalized public property, before Catalan police intervened to disperse protesters who threw stones and hard objects at officers.

The regional police in Catalonia announced on Sunday that they had detained 128 people for committing acts of "vandalism," "damage to public property," and "looting."

Catalan Police Chief Silvia Cata told the "3CatInfo" media platform that 73 of those detained are minors, and reports will be sent to the "Juvenile Prosecutor's Office."

Social media recordings showed groups of young people, many dressed entirely in black, attacking shops in Barcelona after gathering in the city center for an unreported march.

This comes at a time when countries across Europe are experiencing unrest, with looting and violence occurring in France, Italy, and Albania.

Cata stated that only two of the 128 people arrested in Barcelona had prior criminal records, noting that a total of 15 officers were injured overnight.