In Mataró, three minors were arrested on Tuesday morning after a protest against the eviction of a family with four children in the Cerdanyola neighbourhood turned into clashes with Mossos d'Esquadra officers.
The protest took place on Avinguda Gatassa, where more than 50 people had gathered. Police sources said demonstrators threw objects and stones at officers from the ARRO unit, and the unit responded by firing foam rounds to disperse the crowd.
According to the Mossos d'Esquadra, five officers suffered minor injuries from objects thrown during the intervention. Police equipment and vehicles were also damaged.
The Socialist Housing Union of Catalonia, the Sindicat d'Habitatge Socialista de Catalunya, said the eviction took place amid great tension and a large police deployment. The union condemned the police action and said several minors had to go to hospital with serious injuries.
The union also said the housing situation in the neighbourhood is unsustainable, and noted that four more evictions are scheduled in Mataró this week. It has called an assembly for Tuesday afternoon to continue organising a response.
After the clashes and arrests, Pilar Castillejo, a CUP deputy in the Catalan Parliament, called for Interior Minister Núria Parlon and police director general Josep Lluís Trapero to appear and explain what she described as gratuitous violence at the eviction. For more local coverage, see our news tag.
