Neighborhood uprisings against repeat squatter offenders spread across Catalonia

From Sabadell to Barceloneta, revolts by residents against repeat offender squatters are spreading across Catalonia. Citizens have grown tired of suffering the consequences of crime, and faced with the authorities' inaction, they've decided to take action. Groups of citizens are organizing to confront those who've destroyed coexistence in their neighborhoods.

On Thursday, the situation exploded in a neighborhood in southern Sabadell, and next weekend it happened in Barceloneta. These neighborhoods follow the same pattern: the decline of security and the abandonment by authorities.

The origin of the unrest has been the same. In Sabadell, residents reacted against a group of Moroccans who had occupied a premises and were stealing from and intimidating residents—especially young women. In Barcelona, as happened days earlier in Raval, residents have revolted against a group of repeat offenders who've been wreaking havoc in the neighborhood for some time.

The decline of security in Catalonia

This is not an isolated phenomenon. In Alcalá de Henares (Madrid), the rape of a young woman by a foreigner from a shelter triggered the anger of residents. In Catalonia, the incidents in Sabadell, Raval, and Barcelona are a symptom of a situation that's been brewing for some time.

Catalan governments have promoted pro-immigration policies and collusion with crime and squatting for years. This has created real ghettos and areas of impunity in many neighborhoods. Many lifelong residents end up choosing to leave, and their place is often taken by foreigners, many times through illegal squatting.

The unrest in Sabadell occurred in the La Creu de Barberà neighborhood, which is undergoing a rapid process of decline. The same is true in Barcelona, which shares with Raval and Gòtic the pressing problems of security and incivility. In both cases, residents organized through social media to go out on patrol and confront the criminals who've terrorized the neighborhood.

Civilian patrols in Bellvitge and Terrassa

In Barcelona, the epicenter of the decline of security in Catalonia, the first civilian patrols against metro pickpockets were created. These have since spread to cities like Sabadell and Terrassa.

A similar situation occurred in Bellvitge, where a group of foreign minors terrorized the neighborhood with robberies and assaults. Residents organized through WhatsApp to patrol the streets. Although in that case things didn't escalate into confrontations, there were protests and a demonstration against insecurity and the abandonment by authorities.

After what happened in Sabadell, the PSC mayor called the residents who defended themselves against insecurity "radicals." Meanwhile, in Terrassa, the mayor criticized the organization of civilian patrols.

In Catalonia, these events are joined by social outbreaks in Salt, Mataró, and Lérida, a symptom that something isn't working. The new PSC government is trying to fight crime with emergency plans. However, the situation is already so desperate that crime is growing at a much faster rate than the effectiveness of police work.