We are in York now and leave for Spain the end of the week. The last 5 days of our Spain trip will be in Barcelona. A friend from home (U.S.) will meet us there
We have not been paying attention to the news, but she has been texting us about her concerns in staying in Barcelona because of the political problems going on now.
Is it something we need to be concerned about?
Thanks
That all depends on the Spanish police that has invaded Catalonia these days. As you can follow in any media today (check Wapo, NYT or any other reputable source), their brutality against peaceful citizens has been outrageous, with over 700 injured so far, many elderly people and women whose "crime" is to have been queuing in front of a polling station to insert a vote in a ballot. Obviously, I can't be an unbiased in this matter after having been testimony of the ferocious attacks of the Spanish police, so for this issue, I urge you to check "foreign" media instead, and judge for yourselves.
Agnes - thanks for attaching the link.
Sue, this is more background material in case you are interested. Keep in mind that the referendum is time-specific (today), so who knows what will happen in a few days. It may be total calm by then (optimistically) as people disperse, but it's hard to tell when passions are inflamed. I would just watch what happens in the next couple of days instead of making a rash decision.
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/26/world/europe/spain-catalonia-referendum.html
No one can say what will happen, but today must have been difficult for both sides of the situation. People want to be heard and police have directives to uphold. There has been talk about strikes in the next few days, so I would say you need to be aware - not necessarily concerned. These might impact transport and that is where tourism is affected. Barcelona is big, and one can work to avoid crowds, but it gets harder if you cannot get to where you need to be.
Yes, indeed... here the Spanish paramilitary police "upholding" the directives to control a dangerous "angry mob" of people waiting to vote: https://www.facebook.com/LaVanguardia/videos/1659513727445543/ .... A quick search on the Net will yield you hundreds of similar videos and images.
There's a call for a general strike for tomorrow (Oct 3rd)... and the Catalan Parliament is likely to declare independence within the next week. For those not familiar: general strike means everything will be closed and key services (ie. transportation) are working at a minimum.
Btw, the Spanish Minister of Defence, chief of these "officers upholding directives", did vow they would extend their "stay" until deemed necessary.
Thanks for the update Enric. Unfortunately, Barcelona coverage in the US has been overshadowed by the mass murders in Las Vegas.
We leave for Madrid on the 11th, and arrive in Barcelona on the 21st. That gives us time "in country" to revise our plans if necessary. At this point, I'll take my chances with Barcelona.
I will be arriving in Madrid this Thrs and then Barcelona on Saturday . Hoping for the best but will be keeping an eye out for updates on this forum. As some have said, we are not seeing a lot of information in the media due to the horrific murders in Las Vegas.
This is what the consulate says:
Consulate General of the United States of America
Barcelona, Spain
Security Message for U.S. Citizens: General Strike on October 3rd, 2017
The U.S. Embassy in Madrid and the U.S. Consulate General in Barcelona inform U.S. citizens that a general strike is scheduled to begin in Catalonia beginning on Tuesday, October 3, 2017. Expect possible disruptions to public transportation and other services. We encourage U.S. citizens to check for updates at the following Twitter accounts of local authorities: Mossos d’Esquadra, Transports Metropolitans de Barcelona, Guardia Urbana de Barcelona, Rodalies Catalunya.
For further information about security in Spain, including our most recent Security Messages:
· See the State Department's travel website for the Worldwide Caution, Travel Warnings, Travel Alerts, and Spain’sCountry Specific Information.
· Enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP)to receive security messages and make it easier to locate you in an emergency.
· Contact the U.S. Embassy in Madrid, located at Calle de Serrano, 75, via email at AskACS@state.gov or by phone at + (34) 91-587-2200, 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. The after-hours emergency number for U.S. citizens is the same: + (34) 91-587-2200
· Contact the U.S. Consulate General in Barcelona, located at Paseo Reina Elisenda, in the neighborhood of Sarria at + (34) 93-280-2227, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday, or via email at BarcelonaACS@state.gov. The after-hours emergency number for U.S. citizens is + (34) 91-587-2200.
· Call 1-888-407-4747 toll-free in the United States and Canada or 1-202-501-4444 from other countries from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, Monday through Friday (except U.S. federal holidays).
· Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.
