Riot between beach monitors and city guards

Neighbors of the Gòtic area are demanding that Barcelona City Council clarify the violent fight between playground monitors and municipal police that took place on Sunday morning in Plaça del Pi.

Oliver Thansan
Oliver Thansan
23 May 2023 Tuesday 05:12
5 Reads
Riot between beach monitors and city guards

Neighbors of the Gòtic area are demanding that Barcelona City Council clarify the violent fight between playground monitors and municipal police that took place on Sunday morning in Plaça del Pi. There were charges, two monitors were arrested, another seven were identified... And two policemen suffered minor injuries. Both are responsible for the commotion.

"The videos that are going around don't fit us - says Eva Vila, from Fem Gòtic -. It seems to us that the police action is disproportionate. They are 18-year-old boys who set up activities for the creatures of the neighborhood. L’Esplai del Pi is our den, an entity with half a century”. "Here they are a point of reference for values ​​education - intervenes Martí Cusó, from the neighborhood association -. Every night we put up with crowds of tourists, and we call the Guardia Urbana and nothing ever happens, and for one day the neighborhood kids do something... The videos show enough signs of illegality to put the agents and investigate everything".

L'esplai says they set up a festive day for children and young people. "We had permission until two o'clock, and by that time everything was practically collected. Then the police approached two organizers to identify themselves, otherwise they would be taken to the police station." Some started recording everything. "They stretched out the arm of a mediator and grabbed one of the people who was recording by the neck. And another has his hand and fingers broken. Then the situation exploded and charges began against 15 people under the age of 22." The monitors also report that the police insulted and threatened them, pulled their hair and poked them in the stomach, and sprayed them with pepper spray. "We will demonstrate on Friday".

Meanwhile, neighborhood indignation grows. The Movement of Christian Recreation Centers of Catalonia tweeted to condemn the police action and support the monitors. This beach is linked to the basilica of Santa Maria del Pi. This weekend they celebrated their 49th anniversary and that the City Council has just awarded them the city's Medal of Honor.

The police say that the neighbors were complaining and that they agreed with the monitors "one last song", but then they ignored them and on top of that they insulted them and threw cans. "An organizer pushed the agents to avoid identification - say municipal sources-. Several officers were attacked in the back. They had to make use of their defenses, between throwing cans. Two people were arrested for attempting to attack the authorities and two officers were treated for minor injuries."

The councilor of Ciutat Vella, the commoner Jordi Rabassa, also praised the work of the playground. "It is fundamental to the Gothic. The videos have left us worried. We have opened an ex officio internal investigation. We want to know which protocols were used." The councilor for Education, also commoner Pau González, pointed out that "this cannot be repeated". The spokesperson for the ERC group, councilor Jordi Coronas, also asks for inquiries. "It's a disproportionate action in a neighborhood where tourists camp freely every night."