Criticism for police after rubber bullet injuries at Champions League celebrations

by David | FC Barcelona

Once again FC Barcelona’s celebrations turned to violence last Wednesday, when around 500 troublemakers threw bottles at police before creating a full scale riot. Local police – the Catalan Mossos – responded predictably by trying to control the situation with riot police and rubber bullets, something they always seem ill prepared to do without causing further trouble.

The result was that two men lost their eyes to rubber bullets and one is in intensive care.

While I have have no sympathy for the rioters, who were clearly there just to cause trouble – Barcelona remains a breeding ground for troublemakers who justify their actions by calling themselves anarchists and anti-fascists – the Mossos have a history of over-reacting in these situations.

When Barcelona won the Champions League title in 2006 we invited an Italian and a Puerto Rican round to watch the match and have dinner. Leaving at 2 or 3 in the morning, they made the mistake of leaving the metro and Plaça Catalunya, where the violence was centred. While our Italian friend made it home unscathed, the Puerto Rican was forced to flee from police when they started shooting rubber bullets down the street and running in blind panic got completely lost in the Raval area. Luckily he wasn’t hit.

Now, our Puerto Rican friend was certainly unlucky to have emerged in the centre of this disturbance, but the police were clearly out of control.