Burned cars and looted shops leave Bilbao counting riot damage

Police investigations in Bilbao and Barcelona accompany a political dispute over responsibility for the unrest.

Channel: RTVE Noticias ·

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Bilbao y Barcelona afrontan las consecuencias de los disturbios | RTVE Noticias

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0:17Burned cars in Bilbao's Deusto neighborhood illustrate the damage facing residents and businesses.
2:00Mayor Juan Mari Aburto condemns the unrest; affected residents describe fear for their livelihoods.
3:02Barcelona detainees continue giving statements as judicial proceedings over the weekend's unrest move forward.
4:59Feijóo and Abascal blame Sánchez for inflaming political tensions.
5:32Government and left-wing figures reject the accusations and criticize the right's response.

Charred cars remain on the streets of Bilbao's Deusto neighborhood as residents and traders assess the damage from a night of unrest. The report moves from the burned vehicles to people whose livelihoods were threatened, before turning to arrests in Barcelona and accusations traded by Spain's political leaders.

RTVE Noticias, the news service of Spain's public broadcaster Radio Televisión Española, reports that five cars and 38 garbage containers burned in Bilbao, with several businesses looted. Damage to street infrastructure alone exceeds €55,000, excluding losses suffered by businesses and individual owners.

The broadcaster reports 17 arrests, including ten minors. The Ertzaintza, the Basque regional police, is continuing its investigation to identify those responsible. Bilbao is in Spain's northern Basque Country.

Reporting from Deusto, Ana Cuesta shows the burned cars and describes the consequences for the neighborhood. Mayor Juan Mari Aburto condemns those involved, rejecting any characterization of them as anti-fascist campaigners. Residents and business owners describe their fear, with one affected woman recalling concern that they could lose their livelihoods permanently.

In Barcelona, reporter Isabel Palacios says those detained over the previous weekend's unrest are continuing to give statements as judicial proceedings move forward. The report does not announce a final outcome for those cases.

The political argument centers on Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez. Alberto Núñez Feijóo, leader of the conservative People's Party, argues that a government should calm tensions rather than inflame them. Vox leader Santiago Abascal accuses Sánchez of bringing extremist groups together and fostering violence.

The government rejects those accusations. Reporting from the prime minister's Moncloa headquarters, Almudena Guerrero sets out its response, followed by government spokesperson Elma Saiz warning against encouraging hatred. Socialist parliamentary spokesperson Patxi López accuses the opposition of exploiting the unrest. Podemos leader Ione Belarra and Gerardo Pisarello also criticize the right's response, while other political voices warn against using violence to discredit peaceful demonstrations.