Does anyone have reliable information about the ongoing nightly violence occurring in the streets of Barcelona this past week? Including the attempted burning alive of a municipal police officer inside his parked vehicle on La Rambla? Are these reports something that we Barcelona-lovers should be concerned about as we consider planning our next visit to this wonderful city?
Posted by
Ontario, Canada
4573 posts
You may want to check the Barcelona police Twitter account. MOSSOS When there was political change in Fall 2017 with protests and tourist impact, the police posted English tourist info on their Twitter. Otherwise, perhaps check expat boards, or even TripAdvisor Barcelona Forum. There are more locals on that type of forum.
As far as the impact for future travel, it is way too soon to tell and most likely just something you can work around.. Consider the past number of years, Barcelona has had its flare ups of terrorism and protests; however, so has Paris, and other major cities. Often, use common sense and recommendation is to avoid certain areas of the city (Las Ramblas would be one that you may not want to sleep in - only to make it easier to avoid if something flares up), or ensure you can check current status when you are there.
As any trip for the next year, be sensible and book full cancellation lodgings and keep an eye on the last day to cancel. Some are 2 or 3 weeks prior to arrival. Though Spanish train tickets may be cheaper the further out you book, if things are still volatile in Barcelona, book them a bit later.
Something I did in 2017 - I had to leave from Barcelona Airport, and since I had cancelled my stay in town, I went to Valencia for the last part of my Andalucia trip. Valencia had a bus that actually stopped at the airport prior to the main city terminal. I got a hotel nearby with airport shuttle so had no trouble flying out but avoided the city itself. If Barcelona is your airport, there is nothing to say you actually have to stay in town. Look at options along the coast towards Valencia and expand your travel options.
Posted by
Tunbridge Wells
6113 posts
The violence this week has been over the jailing of a rapper from what I understand. I am sure that by the time you are permitted to travel, he will have been forgotten about and the violence will have ceased.
Posted by
Barcelona ☀️ Sweden ❄️
3901 posts
Thank God that Police officer was able to escape with his life!
It is an unfortunate reality that in Barcelona we have a group of hardcore anarchist criminals who seize upon major political controversy to attack our local infrastructure, burn down shops and restaurants, and attack anyone who gets in their way, be it the police, locals trying to save their neighborhood, or even unsuspecting tourists.
These violent disturbances usually happen once every year, the last major one was back in October of 2019, with the sentencing of the insurrectionist leaders. That one lasted a few weeks before things settled down, you can expect about same with this new round of anarchist violence and looting.
You can read more here (in English): https://english.elpais.com/spanish_news/2021-03-01/street-violence-in-barcelona-escalates-amid-ongoing-protests-over-pablo-hasels-arrest.html