They report the infiltration of a Catalan journalist to attack neighborhood patrols.

New episode of tension between subsidized media outlets and citizens. The neighborhood patrol group Reconquista España, very active on social media, has revealed that a journalist from El Periódico tried to infiltrate their group with questionable intentions. According to the screenshots shared, the reporter had the clear intention of linking this group to the current narrative of the "far right" and the "Nazis".

In the conversations, the journalist suggested things like "I have the feeling that there aren't that many people willing to take action." She also expressed her interest regarding the context of "the Torre Pacheco incident." Among other things, she claimed that she came from "Deport Them Now," a small far-right group that has been used to create this narrative:

The Reconquista España representative replied to the journalist by saying that they don't have any connection to those circles. Suddenly, he reveals that he knows she's a journalist and what she's doing. "It's quite sad that you're trying to infiltrate groups of honest and decent people who are only concerned about the safety of our neighborhoods," he reproached her.

The rise of neighborhood patrols

This incident has coincided with the rise of neighborhood patrols in Catalonia in response to increasing insecurity. In L'Hospitalet - among other places - the first initiatives of this kind have appeared. This is something that Badalona mayor Xavier García Albiol already warned about at the time. If the State doesn't provide solutions, the mayor said, people will take justice into their own hands.

According to official data, for example, crimes involving knives rose by 38% during the first half of 2025 in Barcelona. Likewise, 280 repeat offenders were identified, responsible for thousands of crimes. Despite the improvement in some categories, many citizens still believe that official forces aren't enough.

This kind of grassroots initiative isn't without risk. To begin with, the creation of neighborhood patrols shows a clear distrust toward the authorities. In addition, the possibility of uncontrolled self-defense and poorly managed confrontations can cause other security problems. The Torre Pacheco case has served as a warning, although the first intention of the political power was to capitalize on the case.