On May 15, 2013 a major crackdown was launched by the Mossos D’Squadra [Catalan police] which was directed from the National Audience Court in Madrid [high prosecution panel], in which five anarchists were arrested in various parts of Catalonia for alleged membership of the Bandera Negra group (un grupo 'especialmente activo'). This is seen as a media-orientated coup to coincide with the second anniversary of the 15-M popular protests, a media lynching, where these libertarians still remain in pretrial custody.

Silvia Muñoz Layunta, Juan José Garrido Marcos, Yolanda Fernández Fernández, Xabier González Solar and Jose Carlos Recio Minguez were dispersed in 5 different regional prisons under the FIES3 penitentiary regime.

After 123 days in prison, the case against the Barcelona 5 was dropped due to insufficient evidence.