This weekend, street parties in Barcelona, Spain, have lead to clashes with the police, injuring at least 80 people. Police have arrested 50.
Since the bar prices in Spain are extremely high, teenagers have taken to drinking in the streets at so-called “macrobotellon” (big bottle) parties. Teens gather at city centers to socialize and drink cheap alcohol mixed with soft drinks.
This year, the Internet and cell phone messages played a major role in the organization of the botellon.
Although the government and parents’ groups asked young people to stay away, many teenagers across the country attended botellons in 20 cities in Spain.
In Barcelona teenagers partying set fire to trash cans, broke shop windows and looted. In a battle with these teens, the police used batons and rubber bullets. In other cities, like Salamanca, there were smaller street battles.
The biggest party was in Granada, where around 25,000 youths gathered, causing the closure of a major road.
For those wondering, the legal drinking age in Spain is 16.