Barcelona square. Stock photo from Pexels
Barcelona is the least safe city in Spain
The influx of new residents has radically changed the face of the city. With 120 crimes per 1 000 inhabitants, the Catalan capital has the highest crime rate in Spain.
Published: August 24, 2019, 11:10 am
Barcelona
Barcelona is the least safe city in Spain. Very popular with tourists, the Catalan capital is increasingly suffering from a bad reputation.
Indeed, the multiplication of pickpocketing or assaults are real, and particularly affects holidaymakers, reported French daily Le Figaro. The rising climate of insecurity also worries the locals and the municipality.
For example, eight murders have already rocked Barcelona since July 1, 2019, against ten throughout the last year, in 2018. On Wednesday, August 21, the US Embassy even warned its citizens against “the increase in violent crime” advising them not to wear expensive watches or jewelry.
In recent days, a 91-year-old French woman had to be hospitalized after a fall caused by thieves who snatched a chain around her neck. The ambassador of Afghanistan in Spain was also attacked and his watch stolen, while a South Korean official died of injuries sustained during a robbery.
In real terms, there are 120 crimes per 1 000 inhabitants in Barcelona, far ahead of Marbella (80 per 1 000) and Madrid (74 per 1 000). The terrible crime figures are qualified by the mayor of the city, Ada Colau, as a global problem however. “Barcelona is a safe city suffering from some problems like Paris, London or all the other big cities,” she said.
These declarations, which are meant to be reassuring, did not prevent the councilor from shortening her holidays to respond to the “security crisis” that her deputies denounced.
On the other hand, the director of the Mossos, the regional police, denied that there is an alarming crime situation and has not hesitated to contradict the multiple reports. Tired of these perpetual contradictions, some Barcelona inhabitants have decided to take action by setting up “citizen patrols”, essentially brigades of residents who facilitate the stay of tourists.
In the subway, these “militia”, armed with whistles and a sign in several languages, do not hesitate to directly approach travelers suspected of being pickpockets. In the streets, groups called “Helpers” offer help to victims and witnesses of crime.
The police, meanwhile, encourage citizens to inform them of incidents, without challenging their authority. The main obstacle to integration is language, especially as schooling is in Catalan, which none of the immigrants speak.
In 2000 foreigners accounted for less than 2 percent of the population; a mere five years later, the figure was 15 percent (266 000). In 2018, it is now officially 18 percent although, according to Lola López, the city’s integration and immigration commissioner, the true figure is closer to 30 percent.
The three largest groups of immigrants are Europeans, Latin Americans and North Africans, mainly from Morocco, as well as large Chinese and Pakistani populations – and López says that Barcelona has its own identity, distinct from that of Catalonia or Spain.
According to research by Paolo Giaccaria, a social scientist at the University of Turin, the case of Barcelona “establishes a connection between two types of mobility that are at odds with each other: northern tourism and southern migration”.
The neighbourhood where immigration is most visible is El Raval [Arabic for suburb], and it has long been synonymous with drugs and prostitution, the Guardian reported.
All rights reserved. You have permission to quote freely from the articles provided that the source (www.freewestmedia.com) is given. Photos may not be used without our consent.
Consider donating to support our work
Help us to produce more articles like this. FreeWestMedia is depending on donations from our readers to keep going. With your help, we expose the mainstream fake news agenda.
Keep your language polite. Readers from many different countries visit and contribute to Free West Media and we must therefore obey the rules in, for example, Germany. Illegal content will be deleted.
If you have been approved to post comments without preview from FWM, you are responsible for violations of any law. This means that FWM may be forced to cooperate with authorities in a possible crime investigation.
If your comments are subject to preview by FWM, please be patient. We continually review comments but depending on the time of day it can take up to several hours before your comment is reviewed.
We reserve the right to delete comments that are offensive, contain slander or foul language, or are irrelevant to the discussion.
Europe
New App Helps Locate Sweden’s Historic Runestones
A new app called Swedish Runestones will help locate historical gems.
Swedish military wants to remilitarize the Åland Islands
The demilitarized autonomy has previously been known as 'the islands of peace.
NOAA Predicts Zero Sunspots for Almost the Whole 2030s
CLIMATEThe United States' government scientific organization, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), predicts zero sunspots from 2031 to 2040. This is an extreme situation that has not occurred in as long as humanity has been counting sunspots, and it leads us into uncharted territory in terms of our solar system. However, this prediction aligns with the warnings of the world-renowned solar researcher Valentina Zharkova for many years, who indicated in 2019 various signs of this catastrophic phenomenon, including the extreme hailstorms we have seen in Europe and the world this summer. The forecast and various observations this year give cause for very significant concern. In this unique analysis, Free West Media explains why.
European Nationalist Parties Forge Cooperation Ahead of EU Elections
EUROPEAN ELECTIONSOn Saturday, August 26, representatives of six European nationalist parties gathered in Budapest. The meeting was initiated by the Hungarian party Mi Hazánk and took place in the national parliament. Representatives of the parties signed a joint declaration that not only reaffirms the parties' friendship but also their unity on a range of complex political issues. A surprisingly clear and radical manifesto was established. The hope is that this cooperation will lead to success in the EU elections and eventually result in the formation of a group in the European Parliament. For Swedish nationalism, this meeting marks a success as Sweden, for the first time, has a party represented in a leading nationalist cooperation in Europe. Free West Media was present at this historic event.
Turkey Believes Sweden Hasn’t Done Enough
Sweden will have to wait a bit longer for NATO membership, according to Turkey's Justice Minister Jilmaz Tunc. First, Sweden must extradite the "terrorists" Turkey wants and stop the desecration of the Quran.
Swedish Weapon Takes Down Russia’s Best Attack Helicopter
The Russian attack helicopter Ka-52 is considered one of the world's best and has struck fear in Ukraine, where it has hunted down tanks and other armored vehicles, often beyond the range of many light anti-aircraft systems. However, it has met its match in the Swedish air defense missile system RBS 70, which has quickly led to significant losses for the Russian helicopter forces.
The Sun Drives Earth’s Climate, Not Carbon Dioxide
Top Researchers Push Back Against Climate Lies."The correlation is as clear as day," explained the Israeli astrophysicist Nir Shaviv, who was hailed by the establishment, before his interview with Forbes was hastily deleted. What he says contradicts the climate narrative, which points to humans as responsible for Earth's climate. Shaviv firmly asserts that it is the sun that controls the climate, something that can be scientifically proven in many ways. Contrary to the popular belief, the sun's influence on Earth has, in recent years, caused unusually cold and rainy weather, a trend that solar researchers warn will worsen significantly in the coming decades. The sun has exhibited an unusually low activity since 2016, during Solar Cycle 24, which was the weakest in a century.
Strong Confidence in German AfD
Alternative for Germany (AfD) held a party conference on July 29-30 to select candidates for the upcoming EU election next year. EU Parliament member Maximilian Krah, belonging to the party's more radical, ethnonationalist faction, was appointed as the top candidate. The party's two spokespersons delivered powerful speeches criticizing the EU's failed migration policy and trade sanctions that isolate Europe and Germany from the rest of the world. They argued that it's time for the EU to return a significant portion of its power to national parliaments. However, they have dropped the demand for Germany to exit the EU.
The Establishment Wants to Ban Germany’s Second Largest Party – for the Sake of Democracy
The rising popularity of AfD has raised strong concerns within the establishment. Despite lies and demonization in the media and isolation from the overall political establishment, the party continues to grow. Certain representatives of the party are accused of becoming increasingly "extreme," and in an unusual move, the influential weekly newspaper Der Spiegel demanded that AfD be "banned."
Dutch FvD break through the media blockade
What is happening in the Netherlands? It is often difficult to follow events in other countries, especially when distorted by system media. We give Forum for Democracy (FvD) the opportunity to speak out on the political situation in the Netherlands and the staunch resistance they face in trying to save the country.
No comments.
By submitting a comment you grant Free West Media a perpetual license to reproduce your words and name/web site in attribution. Inappropriate and irrelevant comments will be removed at an admin’s discretion. Your email is used for verification purposes only, it will never be shared.