Shops boarded up, police flooded the city centre and several arrests were made ahead of an anticipated wave of vandalism and looting. But when Saturday night arrived, Valencia remained remarkably calm. Valencia breathed a collective sigh of relief on Sunday morning after a Halloween weekend dominated by fears of organised looting, vandalism and street violence which, thankfully, never materialised in the city.

For several days, the threat posed by a movement calling itself Blocus had been hanging over Valencia. Following violent disturbances in Barcelona the previous weekend, in which shops were looted, street furniture damaged and police officers injured, concerns grew that similar scenes could be repeated in Valencia on Saturday, 31 October.

The warnings were sufficiently serious to prompt an extraordinary security operation, arrests, preventative measures by local businesses and an unprecedented atmosphere of uncertainty in parts of the city centre.

A city preparing for the worst

The first visible signs of concern appeared in the historic centre and along some of Valencia’s busiest shopping streets. In a somewhat extraordinary sight for a Saturday before Halloween, shopkeepers began covering their shop windows and glass frontages with wooden protective panels.

Along Calle Colón and elsewhere in the commercial centre, businesses were taking precautions against potential attacks, while others considered bringing forward their closing times or staying shut altogether.

By Saturday afternoon, numerous shops had lowered their shutters. The situation also affected the city’s cultural and entertainment scene, with the cinemas at Lys and performances scheduled at Teatro Olympia among those affected by precautionary closures and cancellations.

For independent retailers, the decision was not simply about protecting merchandise and property. Employees and customers could also potentially have found themselves caught up in violence.

The anxiety was understandable. Nobody wanted to see Valencia experience the scenes witnessed in Barcelona on 24 October, when organised groups targeted commercial premises and clashed with the police.

What is Blocus?

The name Blocus has become associated with a series of calls circulated through social media and messaging platforms, encouraging young people to participate in demonstrations and, in some cases, organised acts of vandalism and looting.

The phenomenon has links to a wider movement inspired by events in France, although the activities promoted under the Blocus name have not all been peaceful or pursued the same objectives.

Spanish police investigations uncovered messaging groups allegedly being used to coordinate attacks on shops, identify potential targets and encourage participation in planned disturbances.

In Valencia, one of the principal concerns centred on the creation of channels known as Blocus VLC. A 17-year-old was arrested after allegedly establishing messaging groups to coordinate planned robberies and looting in the city centre. One of the channels reportedly attracted more than 400 users.

Further arrests followed in the days leading up to Halloween, including the arrest in Picanya of a man suspected of being the principal promoter of Blocus in Spain. Another young suspect was arrested in Valencia on Saturday for allegedly distributing access invitations to private messaging groups associated with the movement.

By Halloween, several people had been arrested in connection with the investigation, while two courts had ordered provisional imprisonment without bail for two of those detained, including the alleged national organiser.

It is important to stress that these are allegations under investigation and that those arrested are entitled to the presumption of innocence.

A major police operation

Valencia’s authorities were taking no chances.

Following an extraordinary security meeting at City Hall, Mayor María José Catalá announced that the number of additional Local Police officers planned for Halloween would be doubled.

The operation involved coordination between the Policía Local, Policía Nacional and Guardia Civil, with the removal of certain rubbish containers and street furniture from vulnerable areas to reduce the potential for their use in acts of vandalism.

The Government’s representative in the Valencian Community, Roger Llanes, subsequently confirmed that approximately 1,000 security personnel had been deployed, including specialist police units, drones and helicopters. Guardia Civil officers also reinforced surveillance at access points from the metropolitan area.

Residents had been advised to exercise caution and, particularly during Saturday afternoon, avoid unnecessary trips into the city centre.

And then… nothing happened

Perhaps the most remarkable aspect of the entire episode was what actually happened on Saturday evening.

Despite the warnings, boarded-up shop windows and substantial police presence, the anticipated violence failed to materialise.

A call for a gathering at approximately 17:30 around Plaza de Toros attracted nobody of significance. A counter-demonstration planned around Mercado de Colón also failed to develop.

The centre remained under close police surveillance, and some groups of young people were stopped, questioned and identified. Nevertheless, the atmosphere remained relatively calm, with residents and visitors continuing to move around the city.

According to information released by the authorities, Valencia’s Local Police identified 105 people during the operation. Officers also confiscated a plastic pistol, two balaclavas and four masks, and recorded incidents involving drugs and pyrotechnics.

The National Police reported a further 440 identifications during its security operation, together with the seizure of various items, including nine authorised sprays, 28 balaclavas and eight masks.

Importantly, there were no significant disturbances, organised looting or major incidents reported in Valencia during the Halloween operation.

The reinforced police presence continued throughout Saturday night and into the early hours of Sunday morning.

A victory for prevention – and a weekend to reflect upon

The authorities have understandably credited the extensive security operation and earlier arrests with helping to prevent the threatened violence.

It is difficult to know precisely what might have happened without the intervention. The dismantling of messaging groups, the arrest of alleged organisers and the visible police presence may well have discouraged those considering taking part.

However, there is another side to the story.

For many shopkeepers, the experience meant considerable disruption, additional expense and a Saturday evening spent protecting premises rather than welcoming customers. Businesses that installed wooden panels, closed early or cancelled trading will also have had to consider the financial consequences of a threat that ultimately did not materialise.

There is a wider question, too, about the use of social media to organise criminal activity, particularly when young people are involved and potentially exposed to groups encouraging violence and opportunistic theft.

Valencia has every reason to be grateful that the weekend ended peacefully. The city was spared the scenes of destruction witnessed elsewhere, and residents, visitors and businesses were able to enjoy Halloween without the feared outbreak of violence.

Perhaps the most positive conclusion is also the simplest: a city prepared for trouble, acted to prevent it, and ultimately had very little trouble to deal with.

Valencia can put away the protective panels, reopen its shop windows and get back to business. Halloween 2026 will hopefully be remembered not for the riots that never happened, but for a city that managed to avoid them.

Report by ’24/7 Valencia’ team
Article copyright ’24/7 Valencia