More Violence in Catalonia: Nighttime Vandalism Takes Over a Major City

Catalans have followed with concern the disturbances that have ignited the streets of Salt (Girona) in recent nights. But it is not the only city where these episodes have occurred. Mataró is another city affected by violence, in this case by the nighttime vandalism unleashed in recent nights.

This city of 130,000 inhabitants in the Maresme region has been experiencing episodes of vandalism for several nights. The latest took place two nights ago when arsonists burned several containers in the Rocafort and El Palau areas.

According to police sources cited by El Capgròs, several containers burned in various parts of the city within a few minutes. This adds to the episodes experienced on previous nights, such as the early morning of March 11, when firefighters carried out five interventions for burned containers.

Moreover, residents claim that it is not just about burned containers. Apparently, the vandals have caused other problems, such as destroying urban furniture and painting walls. They have even thrown objects at the police and firefighters.

The city council will now have to pay for the damages with the municipal budget, which comes from the residents' pockets. Each container costs nearly two thousand euros, which means almost ten thousand euros in just one night. Last year, 64 containers were burned in Mataró and 153 in the Maresme, according to the cited source.

Catalans are Tired of So Much Crime

One of the comments on the news in the local digital outlet is striking. "We already see who is causing everything, here we can imagine it just by looking at arrest statistics and prison percentages. But the problem is Vox, or Orriols. In any case, the fact that Vox or AC rise has only one culprit," says this citizen.

A resident warns that no-go zones are being created in Mataró, meaning areas where the police barely have authority anymore. These are areas taken over by crime, where spaces of impunity have been created. For this resident, those to blame are "the politicians who live in a fantasy world."

Another resident points out that the police barely patrol neighborhoods like Rocafort, which have become territories outside of the law. A Catalan laments that these are "third world" scenes, and that "you can't live like this." He warns that everything has gotten out of control and that the laws and politicians are useless.