City centre on alert over planned protest

Police and local officials in Murcia have drawn up a large security operation for this afternoon after warning of possible unrest linked to a Blocus gathering in the city centre.

The plan was agreed at a local security meeting chaired by the government delegate, Francisco Lucas, who said officers had been monitoring the call for days and had taken preventive measures to reduce the risk of violence.

Authorities said the operation will involve the Policía Local and the Guardia Civil, working alongside national police resources to maintain public order and protect residents and visitors as the protest unfolds.

Lucas said the security meeting followed a week of preparatory work that, in his words, had helped limit the impact of Blocus calls in other parts of Spain and led to the arrest of several of its leaders.

Planned after online calls for disorder

The protest has been described by officials as unlawful, and the security response was organised after what they called an exhaustive review of the available intelligence. No incidents had been reported at the time of publication.

Blocus is a protest movement that has appeared on social media and has been linked to recent demonstrations in several major cities. In Murcia, the authorities said their priority was to prevent any attempt to disrupt order or put members of the public at risk.

The deployment comes as police across Spain continue to monitor the group following a wider inquiry into online calls for looting and disorder over Halloween weekend.