PROTESTS in Bilbao ahead of the national Economic Summit have turned violent and led to seven arrests after widespread damage was caused to shops, bank branches and bars in the city centre.
Dozens of demonstrators, wearing balaclavas to avoid being identified, set fire to wheelie-bins and caused injuries to riot police who attempted to pin them down, emergency services claim.
At least 50 protesters were ordered to show their ID, but only seven were taken into custody.
Several police officers from the Ertzaintza – the Basque Country's answer to the Guardia Civil – suffered cuts and bruises and one had to be taken to A&E after a stone was thrown at him.
The demonstration started at around 11.00hrs to protest over the Global Spain Forum 2014, and quickly got out of hand.
Graffiti was sprayed over branches of high-street banks, including the BBK, Santander and Barclays, and a local Rénault dealership and the café of the Hotel de Villa suffered damage.
A minority group of protesters threw stones and began to strike windows of chain stores such as Zara, Desigual, Mango and the Corte Inglés department store with iron bars and even manhole covers and bins they had ripped up.
Some smashed windows and looted the premises, sabotaged the inside and scattered merchandise all over the floor in scenes which mirrored the UK riots of the summer of 2011.
Vandalism to park benches and lamp posts was also reported, and firefighters were called out to deal with arson attacks on bins.
Objects were thrown at the regional government office, which was also covered in graffiti, and stones were hurled at police cars.
Two media reporters were also said to have been attacked.
Ertzaintza officers had to spread out, armed with riot shields, to stop the vandals getting near the iconic Guggenheim museum and causing further destruction.
Police had to fire shots in the air as the aggressive minority got out of control.
Other than the 60 or so people identified, several thousand others joined what was intended to be a peaceful demonstration and did not take part in the vandalism or violence.
When the protest turned into a civil uprising, organisers decided to put an end to it there and then, and abandoned the scene.
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