VIDEO | Catalonia's decline in one image: Gunshots fired into the air to celebrate San Juan

The main consequence of benevolence in Catalonia has been the degradation of safety and coexistence in neighborhoods. The night of San Juan exposed the shame of this degradation, whose main victims are the residents. A video shared by El Caso and now going viral on social media shows the level of social deterioration that has been reached.

The footage shows an individual of Roma ethnicity firing into the air during the San Juan festival in Barcelona. Despite the astonishment of many, police have confirmed the authenticity of the videos. Mossos are investigating the footage where several young people, some of them minors, are seen firing with total impunity.

The authors of the video, known members of a Roma family from the Sant Martí district, wielded both long and short firearms. This once again raises concerns about the proliferation of firearms in Catalonia.

In fact, this San Juan festival has been especially complicated due to several shootings and stabbings. They occurred in Terrassa, Badalona, and L'Hospitalet, in addition to a homicide in Barcelona and riots in Castelldefels and Palamós.

People are already fed up

The spread of these videos on social media has triggered a wave of comments on social media. These are people who show their concern about daily insecurity in the streets. People are demanding solutions and pointing to benevolence as the culprit.

Police managed to identify the shooters, who weren't reported nor caused any injuries. However, those involved in the shootings now face harsh penalties for the use of firearms. There is particular concern about the connection to firearms of one of the most dangerous clans in La Mina.

At the beginning of the year, there was a wave of violence in troubled neighborhoods such as San Cosme or La Mina, which were the scene of several shootings. In addition, clashes between Roma clans have caused serious disturbances in Font de la Pólvora (Girona) and La Mariola (Lleida). Mossos also investigated several episodes of shots fired into the air, with Roma clans involved.

Violence in Catalonia

Last year, Interior launched a special operation against firearms, and the results were very concerning. The increase in firearms, many of them military-grade and large caliber, was made evident.

This warns of an increase in violence in Catalonia, mainly related to the war between clans for control of drugs. This has resulted in an 11.3% increase in homicides so far this year. It's clear that insecurity in Catalonia isn't a matter of perception, but a reality that's increasingly difficult to combat.