Historic Barcelona concert hall windows ‘stoned’ in protest over rapper’s arrest

22 February 2021, 12:13 | Updated: 22 February 2021, 12:53

The Palau de la Música Catalana was pelted with stones and other objects, which destroyed several of the building’s historic stained glass windows.

A concert hall in Barcelona was vandalised on Saturday night, after protestors threw rocks at the century-old building.

Several of the Palau de la Música Catalana’s stained glass windows were “destroyed” according to Spanish classical music magazine Scherzo.

Earlier that evening, Spanish violinist Lina Tur Bonet and Baroque ensemble Vespres d’Arnadí had given a concert of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons at the historic venue.

While most of the attendees left before the attack, nearly 300 visitors had to take refuge inside the concert hall until the rioters dispersed.

Protesters took to the streets of Barcelona for five consecutive nights following last Tuesday’s arrest of Catalan rapper Pablo Hasél, who was imprisoned for insulting Spanish royalty and praising terrorist violence in his song lyrics, and on Twitter.

Read more: London’s £288m concert hall scrapped amid COVID-19 >

The Palau de la Música Catalana has denounced and condemned the attacks in a recent press release.

“The material damage has not yet been evaluated, but there are numerous broken historical glass and stained glass windows,” a spokesperson explained.

Last night, footage was shared showing protesters gathering around the building, to prevent further damage.

Translated to English, the caption reads: “Right Now. Some protesters have gathered around the Palau de la Música Catalana, to avoid repeating the damage it suffered last night.”

The attack on the historic concert hall has prompted sadness from Spanish residents online, with one user describing the Palau as a “cultural symbol of the Catalan nation”.