New Year's Eve rave party with 150 people in Llinars del Vallès continues without eviction

BarcelonaThe strangest New Year's Eve in Catalonia will be remembered for a rave with at least 150 people in an abandoned warehouse on a road in Llinars del Vallès. It is a celebration that violates the restrictions of the covid-19 in which there are people from various countries with multiple vehicles, most with foreign numberplates. Sources from the Mossos have explained this afternoon to the ARA that they do not intend to evict the attendees because they do not see it as "convenient". According to the police, since the early morning they have set up presence in the area to prevent more people from accessing the party and to identify all those who leave in order to report them. The Mossos have argued that carrying out a control, instead of an eviction, is the "usual" intervention in a large rave.

At midday today, the head of the Mossos' superior territorial coordination police station, Commissioner David Boneta, said that they were acting "with proportionality criteria". The police presence includes members of the Mossos and the local police of Llinars. Boneta added that so far only four of the party's participants who, according to the police, wanted access to the area have been reported. No other reports or arrests have been made. Mossos' sources have justified that since they had knowledge of the rave, they activated the police force's presence and for now there are no plans to end the party because they have assured that it will be maintained until all the attendees leave. The first warnings of the rave were received because of the collapse of vehicles - cars, vans and motorhomes can be seen - on the C-251 road in Llinars to access the warehouse.

During this night the Mossos have also denounced three other illegal parties: one with several people in a nightclub in Cornellà de Llobregat, one in the rooms of a hotel in Santa Perpètua de Mogoda, and one with 16 people in a holiday camp in Esponellà. Boneta has defined this New Year's Eve as being "quiet". According to the provisional balance sheet, 544 complaints and 37 arrests have been made, 12 of which were for violence against women. The number of arrests for violence against women has doubled from last year, when there were six during New Year's Eve. Other arrests have been for sexual abuse and threats, while the rest have been for crimes against property - theft or robbery - as well as injuries, because there have been 30 incidents involving fights.

The Minister of Home Affairs, Miquel Sàmper, wanted to highlight "the very important degree of compliance" with the restrictions, since the emergency telephone number 112 has received 20% fewer incidents than last year. Of the 544 complaints that have been made, 90 relate to inspections of nightlife venues, restaurants and tourist accommodations. The Mossos have also made 46 traffic controls with 440 alcohol tests with 29 positives and 10 drug tests with six positives. Mobility into the Barcelona metropolitan area has fallen by 26% and out of the area by 67%.

Waiting for a few days before evaluating the situation

Sàmper has avoided evaluating if the covid-19 measures are working, after this Friday 3,607 new infections have been recorded. The Minister has ratified that the restrictions were taken "by consensus" in the Government, following the health criteria, and added that within a few days it may be assessed if they have been a mistake or a success. He also insisted that no changes in the measures are planned before the Epiphany night, despite the fact that the Procicat technical committee (the committee in charge of reviewing and applying restrictions) met this morning to analyse the evolution of the pandemic. As for the Neucat plan, regarding the snowfall risk, which is in the alert phase, it is likely that this afternoon it will be lowered to a pre-alert phase.

In Barcelona, the city's firefighters had to put out a small fire on the Montjuic mountain caused by New Year's Eve fireworks, as a spark caused a fire in some bushes. During the night, the Barcelona police reported a party in the lobby of a building with 10 people and a karaoke with 22 people. The police has reported 112 complaints for violating curfew, and 39 for not wearing a face mask.