The main festival of Molins de Rei was celebrated normally and attended the events organized by the rich associative fabric of the town until on the last night it was marred by serious acts of vandalism. In the early hours of Saturday to Sunday, a group of young people threw objects at the police and caused damage to several businesses.
The events occurred shortly before four in the morning, near the concert area. A large group of young people began to throw objects at the local police at first and then at the Mossos d’Esquadra, who had to activate ARRO and BRIMO agents.
The rioters have shown a violent attitude and have caused serious altercations at different points, burning street furniture such as waste containers. In addition, they have entered several businesses such as a car dealership and a telephone store.
The imprint of the charred material and the glass of the broken shop windows were visible this morning. The Mossos d’Esquadra have made some identifications and have opened an investigation to clarify the facts.
Through a statement, the Molins de Rei City Council has assured that these events “are not representative of our Festa Major.” According to the Consistory, starting at 3:45 in the morning “a group of hooded people have started acts of vandalism, burning and destruction on public roads and in municipal premises.”
The City Council highlights that “the actions of the security forces are due to the fact that objects have previously been thrown at them.” “From the City Council we reject behavior like this, which destroys our party,” they added.
“Molins de Rei is not the only municipality that has been affected by this cause, which is why we demand preventive measures to implement and guarantee the safety of people and property during the popular festivals,” says the Consistory.
This morning a meeting was held between the highest municipal representatives and the Guàrdia Urbana of the population, a rather quiet town where without a doubt these types of events are not common.
The City Council highlights, in a letter sent during the morning, that “at this time” they can confirm that “there are no injuries.”
The mayor of the municipality, Xavi Paz, has said that these events “are not the essence of the Festa Major.” He added that, according to first information, the protagonists of the incidents are young people “from outside the municipality.” Some altercations that have happened, according to the mayor, despite the “greater police deployment at a major festival.”
“We strongly condemn the acts of vandalism,” Paz reiterated, who also thanked “the displays of solidarity” on the part of the municipal groups that are part of the plenary session.
“Today is a sad day for us,” said Renault dealer Remm Guitart, who was the one affected. “We have suffered breakage of the exhibition glass, vehicles and furniture,” they reported through X, a social network formerly known as Twitter.
“We thank the City Council, the Guàrdia Urbana, the Mossos and the suppliers for their collaboration and help to be able to return to normality as soon as possible,” they added from the business, which is working to fix the damage and be able to open the Monday.
“We also want to show our solidarity to other companies and neighbors that have also been affected. And thank our customers for their support, trust and understanding to overcome this unfortunate situation,” they concluded.
Some cultural associations of the town, which are always the protagonists of the main festival, have also distanced themselves from the events that occurred this morning.
