Pianist Plays On as Chaotic Anti-Lockdown Protest Unfolds Around Him in Barcelona

A pianist calmly continued to play as an anti-lockdown protest carried on behind him close to Catedral de Barcelona in Spain on October 30.

Paula Carbonell Soria recorded this video and originally posted it to Instagram with the caption, “Barcelona surrealista,” meaning “surreal Barcelona.”

The video shows the man — who goes by the name Peter and who regularly shares footage of his work to Instagram — playing keyboard on Placa Nova as a chaotic scene unfolds behind him.

Protesters can be seen moving around a fire, and a loud bang is heard during the footage. Police vans are then seen driving through a nearly empty Placa Nova, all while the pianist continues to play.

The demonstrations were sparked by recent regional restrictions aimed at curbing a nationwide spike in coronavirus cases.

As of October 31, Spain had recorded over one million confirmed COVID-19 infections with 35,878 deaths. Credit: Paula Carbonell Soria via Storyful