VIDEO | Man with Knife Spreads Panic in Downtown Barcelona

Someday a tragedy will happen. This is the phrase that has been heard for months due to the growing insecurity in Catalonia and the passivity of the rulers. This Tuesday a tragedy didn't happen in Barcelona by miracle.

Yesterday afternoon a man armed with a knife caused panic in the vicinity of Sant Jaume Square in Barcelona. According to witnesses, it was a man of foreign origin who started running through the streets with a large knife. The pedestrians, between surprise and fear, ran away amid screams and shouts.

The man had time to attack a passerby and injure him in the head before being arrested by the Guàrdia Urbana. The horrific scene was recorded and has been widely shared on social media. "They're not perceptions," is one of the most shared comments.

Little is known now about the motives for the attack, although the authorities ruled out a terrorist motive from the outset. The incident was recorded as a robbery with violence, and the striker might have disturbed mental faculties. The victim is injured in the head, but his condition is not serious.

The incident occurred in the Gothic Quarter, ground zero along with Raval and Sant Antoni for insecurity in Barcelona. The police keep the crackdown plan against knives and repeat offenses. But it's evident that the situation won't be solved overnight.

The neglect and abandonment of institutions with crime in Barcelona make the situation very difficult to reverse. Security experts warn that many areas of the Catalan capital are close to a point of no return. Officers who patrol the streets daily assure that the situation in Barcelona is much worse than reported.

Outcry on Social Media

"From being the Denmark of the South to the madhouse of North Africa, we are now officially the big house of racialized psychotics." This is one of the comments on one of the video posts on X. It reflects people's perception of how Barcelona and Catalonia have deteriorated.

People are outraged again by events like this because they are sure the man will be back on the street in a few hours. That's why they reiterate the need to expel foreign criminals. They also call for more forcefulness from the police, as they believe it's time to leave behind benevolence and take action.

They also remember those political parties that say this is solved with courses and pedagogy. Recently the Junts deputy, Agustí Colomines, said that Islamist radicalism is cured with Catalan courses.