Gang of British youths ransacks a Portuguese bar

Gang of British youths ransacks a Portuguese bar and bombards it with plastic chairs in late-night holiday attack caught on video

  • The attack took place at the Aloha bar close to the Praia da Rocha in Portimão
  • A large group of youths hurled a torrent of outdoor furniture at the bar last week
  • Staff members tried to prevent the furniture from smashing the glass frontage
  • Portimão council said it would install security cameras and a civil police rapid response team to prevent future incidents of violence 

Footage has emerged of the moment a gang of rowdy British youths launched a startling attack on a bar in a tourist town in the Algarve region of Portugal last week.

The Aloha bar, which sits on the main street close to the Praia da Rocha in Portimão, was bombarded with a torrent of plastic chairs and outdoor furniture by a group of young men.

Local news outlets reported that some of the group had got into a confrontation with another clan at the bar, but turned on members of staff and security when they tried to intervene. 

The youths began hurling furniture at the glass doors of the bar in the insolent and seemingly unwarranted attack, which took place at around 1am local time on Tuesday, June 20.

This is the shocking moment a gang of young Brits launched an attack on a bar in Portugal

Footage showing a crowd of up to 20 men violently hurling chairs towards Aloha bar in Portimão, a city in the Algarve

Praia da Rocha was a relatively quiet fishing town until the 1980s, when the local government embraced tourism. It is now a go-to destination for foreign tourists looking for a boozy holiday on the Portuguese coast

They continued to target members of staff who stood outside trying to prevent the furniture from smashing the windows, despite the video appearing to show no attempts on the part of the staff to retaliate. 

Portugal’s civil police force in Portimão (PSP) issued a statement declaring they had identified seven of the youths involved in the attack after tracing them to a local hotel.

MailOnline has contacted the PSP in Portimão for comment. 

Portimão Council meanwhile called for beefed up security in the area, confirming to outlet Portugal Resident that it plans to install 32 CCTV cameras throughout the city, particularly in Praia da Rocha and its main street, in an attempt to reduce violent crime there.

The local authority was also told by the Minister of Internal Administration that PSP will station a permanent rapid response unit at Praia da Rocha to prevent similar attacks on property in the future. 

According to local reports seven British youngsters were identified by Public Security Police (PSP) following the shocking incident which happened in the early hours of June 20

The youths continued to target members of staff who stood outside trying to prevent the furniture from smashing the windows, despite the video appearing to show no attempts on the part of the staff to retaliate

Praia da Rocha was a quiet fishing area on Portugal’s south coast until the 1980s, when local authorities and businesses fully embraced the tourism industry.

The place is now a full blown resort, with a series of glitzy hotels peppered among a centre full of bars and restaurants while several other attractions such as water parks and a marina complex have also been installed.

But the region has witnessed several violent incidents in recent months as a result of alcohol fuelled bar fights and confrontations in the streets.

Just one week prior to last Tuesday’s incident, another mass brawl broke out at Praia da Rocha in which two large groups of foreign tourists engaged in fistfights and launched outdoor furniture at each other in similar fashion outside a nightclub.

Several individuals involved required medical assistance, and the PSP said some had criminal backgrounds.  

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