On the morning of 11 November 2026, the live programme Cafè d’idees at the studios of Radio y Televisión Española in Barcelona was disrupted by masked individuals. Production staff cut the broadcast after unauthorised people entered the studio and interfered with proceedings. RTVE and local media published footage showing several people with their faces covered in or near the studio. The broadcaster said the safety of its staff had been the priority. Police opened an investigation; initially, no information was available on the number of people involved or any possible arrests.
The incident took place on the day of a Huelga general, which led to road closures and disruption to traffic in Catalonia. Newsrooms in Barcelona reported an increased police presence amid the protests. Local media, including RAC1, reported several isolated disruptions to everyday operations. By the editorial deadline, the organisers of the industrial action had made no statements about the studio occupation.
To safeguard essential services, the Spanish government had issued a decree beforehand setting minimum service levels for Corporación Radio y Televisión Española The order, published in the Boletín Oficial del Estado sets out the aims of providing the public with continuous information, broadcasting official announcements, and protecting staff and facilities. The rules do not automatically rule out operational disruptions at individual studios; however, they require the public broadcaster to remain capable of broadcasting where possible and to avoid endangering people.
The editorial team of Cafè d’idees, presented by Gemma Nierga, drew a clear distinction in its initial comments between the actual interruption of the programme and the legal assessment of the intrusion. Authorities confirmed only that an investigation was under way. It was initially unclear whether those involved were pickets or groups acting independently of the organisers. Any assessment of evidence for or against possible offences will have to wait for an official statement from the police or the broadcaster.
The incident should be seen as an expression of heightened tensions on the day of the strike. It illustrates the competing interests between trade union mobilisation, more radical calls for blockades, and the duty of public service media to maintain the flow of information, even in exceptional circumstances. By the evening, no reliable information was available about any lasting effects on Radio y Televisión Española’s broadcasting operations in Barcelona.
Editor: Mira Cadena (Article created with AI assistance).