Spain's Interior Ministry deployed thousands of additional Policía Nacional and Guardia Civil officers to several major cities on Sunday after a further night of rioting, looting and arson. Ministry figures put total arrests since the unrest began in the hundreds. The ministry said the reinforcements would remain in place until order was restored.

The disturbances escalated during the final week of October, with groups setting fire to vehicles and rubbish containers and breaking into shops in urban districts. On Friday, Global Affairs Canada updated its travel advice for Spain. It warned Canadian visitors about riots, looting and arson and urged them to avoid demonstrations and follow local authorities' instructions.

The interior minister said riot units had been redeployed from quieter regions and that intelligence teams were working to identify those coordinating the violence through social media. Regional governments in the worst-affected areas asked Madrid for more officers. Several city councils suspended late-night public transport services to limit movement after dark.

The unrest put fresh pressure on Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez's minority government, which has struggled to pass legislation through a fragmented Congress of Deputies. Leaders of the conservative Partido Popular accused the government of reacting too slowly. Vox called for a state of emergency to be declared, a step ministers have so far resisted.

Other European governments were expected to follow Canada in revising their travel guidance if violence continued into the new week. Tourism bodies warned that prolonged images of burning streets could damage bookings ahead of the winter season, a key source of income for coastal and city economies.