The eviction was carried out pursuant to a court order to return the properties to their owner Sareb Bank. About 300 policemen were involved in the operation using helicopters and drones. According to police, seven people were detained and one officer suffered minor injuries.
During the police operation, the streets around the square were closed to traffic and several schools in the area canceled classes. The settlers put up fierce resistance – they hurled incendiary stones, stones, glass bottles and other heavy objects including metal balls at the police, and used fire extinguishers. For the first time, police officers protected themselves in special metal cages to protect themselves from injuries.
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“The district will burn,” the squatters threatened on social media. Many of them braced themselves on the facade and roof of one of the buildings. Firefighters removed them with a crane. “Your luxury is our misery. Our houses are trenches,” read an inscription on the facade of one of the buildings, signed by the anarchist movement ACAB. Hundreds gathered in the square and supported the invaders.
Catalonia Regional Government Interior Minister Joan Ignace Elena went to the scene and congratulated the police. The mayor of Barcelona, Jaime Calponi, expressed his appreciation for ensuring the safety of citizens living in the area.
According to data from the Ministry of the Interior in Madrid, between January and August 2023, immigrants occupied 10,345 houses and apartments in Spain. More than 4,000 in Catalonia.