Fury as historic steps at world heritage site hosting Louis Vuitton fashion show are damaged - as hundreds of Spanish protesters clash with police in ugly scenes outside catwalk event

Hundreds of protesters clashed with police outside a Louis Vuitton fashion show last night as tensions came to a head after the steps at a world heritage site were damaged in the build-up to the event.

Barcelona was the setting for ugly scenes when local anger reached boiling point as the fashion giant was allowed to use an historic public park for celebrities to show off next year's Cruise Collection in private.

Pictures of damage to the steps around barriers set up in the historic Park Güell circulated online, before dramatic protests erupted in the city, culminating in the violent clashes last night.

Chaotic scenes showed friction between baton-wielding officers and residents rallying against the French company's use of the park and protesting the damage, according to Spanish media.

Matters came to a head when huge crowds wielding banners encircled officers, who were seen shoving residents and beating one man to the ground after he lashed out with a kick. Multiple arrests were reported locally.

Barcelona City Council told Catalan outlet Rac1 that a 'human error' during preparations for the event was to blame for the damage to a stone wall near the Plaça de la Natura, assuring that work is already underway to repair the wall.

Police and demonstrators clash during a protest outside the Park Guell in Barcelona, Spain, Thursday May 23, 2024

Police and demonstrators clash during a protest outside the Park Güell in Barcelona on May 23

A neighbourhood council reported damage during 'works' for the Louis Vuitton parade

Barcelona Council said last week that efforts were already underway to repair the wall

Models present creations from the Louis Vuitton Cruise 2025 collection by French designer Nicholas Ghesquiere, in Barcelona

A model wears an outfit by Louis Vuitton during the fashion show on May 23

Models walk the runway during Louis Vuitton : Womenswear Cruise 2025 at Park Güell

'We want to report that in less than 24 hours of work for the Louis Vuitton parade in Park Güell, a piece of stairs has already been [damaged],' the Consell Veïnal del Turó de la Rovira wrote in a post on Twitter/X.

'This is how the City Council looks after the heritage of the city and of Unesco.'

'The amount of infrastructure they bring is beastly: trucks, sheds, fences ... it's a very strong display deployment,' David Mar of the neighbourhood association told Rac1, who claimed the organisers surprised them by starting work ten days before the event.

'In order for the richest man on the planet to make his parade on a heritage space for the people of Barcelona, the La Salut neighbourhood will not be able to park on their streets for 3 days,' the group wrote on Twitter/X.

The public park was closed to locals on Thursday, with access restricted through Wednesday.

Locals were limited to just the northern part of the park, according to Catalan News.

The damage to a site designed by modernist architect Antoni Gaudí drew outrage from residents of the Catalan capital, taking to the streets to express their frustrations.

The City Hall of Barcelona said in a statement: 'The organizing company regrets the incident and will cover the costs of the repair.' 

Officers were seen in harrowing footage wildly striking at demonstrators as they gathered in protest of the event.

In one video, the crowd appears to shuffle forward before one man is beaten back with a baton, crying out in pain.

The group, some appearing with cameras, seem to step away from the officers in an apparent attempt to defuse the situation before the violence erupts again.

One officer appears to push a woman back towards the crowd, who falls back into him.

It is unclear from the clip whether she is pushed by the large mass of people behind her or moves forward of her own volition.

The officer responds quickly by lashing out at the encroaching crowd with his baton, before giving the woman a heavy shove back into the mass.

A man in a grey T-shirt, stood next to the woman, then lunges forward at the officer, who strikes another person with his baton in the melee.

The man in grey dives in with a wild kick but finds himself in the centre of eight officers, all masked and all with batons, who surround him and drag him away from the crowds.

Officers strike officers in the confusion, and projectiles are thrown in their direction as tensions boil over.

The man in grey is then seen on the floor with his arms behind his back as some officers circle while others try to manage the crowd.

A man is detained by police officers during a protest against the Louis Vuitton fashion show

Protestors clash with Mossos police in Barcelona amid demos over the fashion show, May 23

A banner near Park Guell reads 'Louis Vuitton go home' during the event on May 23

A woman holds a placard with the face of the city's mayor Jaume Collboni and 'guilty' written

An animal rights activist demonstrates against Louis Vuitton in Barcelona

A protester dressed as fashion model performs satirical way outside Park Guell

A protest against the Louis Vuitton parade held at Park Güell, affecting mobility in the area

The protesters had minor confrontations with the police to clear the way for VIP vans

A police officer strikes at members of the crowd as they appear to push back amid clashes

Police clash with protestors near the park on Thursday as tensions boil over

In more peaceful scenes, protestors were seen staging a parodic catwalk in the Travessera de Dalt road through the district of Gràcia to the applause of bystanders.

A journalist for Catalan channel Rac 1 claimed a person had been detained by officials and taken to a police station.

'Before, there had been moments of tension and there have been police charges,' Rac journalist Mar Poyato wrote on Twitter/X this evening.

At the improvised catwalk in Gràcia, one bearded man strutted across the street and back in a red dress off both shoulders, with an improvised lace net over his face.

Another protestor in black coat with 'ACAB' (All Cops Are B******s) emblazoned across the back joined the march, trailled by a black cape.

And a third person in a vibrant green jacket and black sunglasses also confidently walked past in apparent ridicule of Louis Vuitton's statement party.

The event itself is one of many organised by the luxury fashion brand for the 37th America's Cup, held in the creative hub of Barcelona this year and sponsored by the brand.

Among those attending was LVMH owner and CEO Bernard Arnault, who this year retained his spot as the richest man in the world, worth a staggering $206bn according to Forbes.

Emma Stone, Sophie Turner, Jennifer Connelly and Ana de Armas were among the top names welcomed by the luxury French brand to parade their 2025 range in the Catalan capital this week, while the organisers have been accused of 'privatising' public space.

On Wednesday, dozens turned out to complain about the event, judging it 'privatising public space', as reported by Catalan News.

General view of steps at the Park Guell in Barcelona, a historic site designed by Gaudi

The park was completed in 1914 and later sold to the City Council

In 1984, the park was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site

Officials stand guard at the historic park amid multi-day clashes with protestors, May 22

British actor Sophie Turner poses for photographs upon arrival to the presentation of Louis Vuitton's Cruise 2025 collection today

Chloe Grace Moretz poses for photographs upon arrival to the presentation on Thursday

The event saw restricted access to the park on Wednesday into Thursday

Barcelona's coach Xavi Hernanez and his wife Nuria Cunillera pose during the Louis Vuitton fashion show on May 23

A model poses at the fashion show in Barcelona on May 23

Park Güell was completed in 1914, some 14 years after it was first drawn up under instruction of Catalan entrepreneuer Eusebi Güell. 

Güell aimed to 'recreate the British residential parks', even naming the site in English, with views over the flat plain of Barcelona and the adjacent Mediterranean.

Early on, private plots were sold off in small quantities, but a lack of buyers eventually saw works abandoned in 1914.

The park was thus reserved for large public events as a private garden of sorts for Güell, before being sold to the City Council by his heirs after his death in 1918.

Since 1926, the park has been designated a municipal park and now hosts the Gaudí House Museum - both recognised as important artefacts of local culture in their own right.

In 1984, the park was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. 

MailOnline contacted Louis Vuitton for comment.