Police block ultranationalist Vito Quiles from entering UAB campus amid clashes
Mossos d'Esquadra set up roadblocks to keep Vito Quiles off the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, while confrontations erupted between his supporters and anti-fascist demonstrators.
The Catalan police force, Mossos d'Esquadra, deployed a security cordon around the access points to the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona to stop ultranationalist speaker Vito Quiles from reaching the campus for a scheduled appearance at 18:00. Quiles later announced he had not entered the university and directed his supporters to meet at an Ikea store in Sabadell. The lack of his presence did not stop violent confrontations; anti-fascist youths and police exchanged projectiles such as lemons and paint-filled balls, with about a thousand participants assembled in the university's Plaça Cívica.
The event, promoted on social media, had no official university authorization, prompting the UAB to ask the Departament de Interior to block Quiles' entry, citing previous clashes in Pamplona and a similar incident a year earlier at the same campus. The regional government confirmed it would enforce the university's request. Around 500 anti-fascist activists remained on site awaiting any possible arrival of Quiles.
Why it matters
The incident highlights ongoing tensions between far-right speakers and anti-fascist groups on Spanish campuses.
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