'Plastered and proud' - Spanish drink fest leaves 70 injured

Mar 18, 2006, 16:54 GMT

Barcelona - Attempts by Spanish police to prevent unauthorized drinking in public places ended in clashes across the country as ten of thousands of young Spaniards answered calls for a massive drink fest in several cities, police said Saturday.

In Barcelona on Friday night, almost 70 people, including 36 police officers were injured in clashes between youths and police trying to prevent the open-air drinking session from taking place.

Around 200 youths pelted the police with stones and bottles, leading to more than 50 arrests, police said. Rubbish bins were set alight and storefronts windows were smashed in the disturbances which lasted hours.

Similar unrest occurred in the university town of Salamanca, where 16 youths were arrested.

Across the country, hundreds of partygoers were treated for alcohol-related excesses, Spanish television reported.

In many places, young people were seen ingesting spirits or a mix of red wine and Coca Cola known as 'calimocho' through a funnel.

'Plastered and proud - let us drink in peace' read a banner in Madrid, where police prevented young people assembling at two announced meeting points.

'I've already been searched for bottles of spirits four times. That's enough for me,' one teenager complained.

In several places, the party was called off because of heavy rain or a massive police presence.

In Granada, where 35,000 people gathered for the event, city authorities had dedicated a park to the evening in order to better control it. Revellers there danced to loud music in a large tent erected for the evening.

The catalyst for the event was an open-air student party a month ago in Seville that attracted 5,000 people and ignited plans in Andalusian neighbour Granada to organize a even bigger party.

The idea of the 'macro-botellon' then spread to 20 cities throughout Spain where the parties were arranged anonymously through cell phone and internet messages in a contest for which would draw the largest number of people to get drunk in a public place.

Among the other cities to participate in the movement were Valladolid, Oviedo and Zaragoza. In Seville, where the movement originated, only 6,000 people turned up for Friday's event.

'These drinking meetings are very dangerous,' said the government's spokesperson on drugs, Carmen Moya, pointing out that behind the real desire of young Spaniards to party commercial interests were at work. Sales of spirits in particular had escalated, she noted.

The real hangover was being felt on Saturday by the thousands of street cleaners that were charged with removed tonnes of rubbish from the scenes of the parties.

'The smell of urine and vomit is almost unbearable,' said a municipal worker in Seville from behind a mask.

Meanwhile, there were no signs of the movement abating with calls already abounding among Spanish youth for further drinking sessions to be held next weekend.