Spain and Portugal monitor reported jihadist calls to attack protests
Spanish authorities are reportedly monitoring online messages that urged attacks on police officers and demonstrators during protests taking place in several European countries, including Spain and Portugal. The warning has drawn particular attention in Portugal, where the Internal Security System said it was closely following the alert and staying in contact with the relevant authorities. The reported threat comes as protests linked to the cost of living and housing crisis continue in major cities across the two countries.
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According to the supplied report, Spanish authorities identified messages on a website allegedly linked to the Islamic State group. The messages were said to encourage militants to exploit mass demonstrations and street clashes to carry out attacks. The Spanish Interior Ministry was reported to have identified the material, while the Internal Security System in Portugal said the Secretary-General was monitoring the situation within her remit.
The alert was also described as being shared with the Portuguese news agency Lusa. The reported messages were said to include practical advice on how to carry out attacks, including calls for martyrdom through suicide bombings or vehicle-ramming attacks. The warning is linked to protests that have been taking place for several weeks in Portugal, Spain, France and Italy.
In Portugal and Spain, the demonstrations have included daily protests and camp-outs in squares in cities such as Lisbon, Porto and Madrid. The unrest has been driven largely by concerns over the cost of living and housing. The issue matters because it connects a domestic protest movement with a cross-border security alert.
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Large demonstrations can create crowded, fast-moving environments in which police, protesters and bystanders are all exposed to risk. The reported calls also raise the possibility that online extremist messaging could seek to exploit social tensions in multiple countries at once. For authorities, that means the response is not only about public order, but also about preventing a separate security threat from emerging inside a broader wave of civic unrest.
The report also places the alert in a wider European context. The demonstrations were said to have peaked last weekend, alongside violent incidents in France and Italy. In France, buildings including Limoges City Hall and the Lyon tourism office were reportedly set on fire and largely destroyed, while Italy saw arson attacks, particularly in Milan.
The scale of the protests in France was described as very large, with more than 800,000 people estimated to have taken part last weekend. What remains unclear is whether the reported online messages have led to any specific operational changes, arrests or credible plots. The supplied material does not confirm any attack attempt, only that authorities are monitoring the alert closely.
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