Balaguer: where even the socialist mayor has to fight the Alliance's theses within her party

Balaguer was the capital of the powerful county of Urgell and provided rulers like King Peter III the Ceremonious, but that is a distant memory. The degradation of the historic center and social segregation mark a city with dwindling vitality. In the center and around the church of Santa Maria de Balaguer, ruined houses, half-demolished or illegally occupied, show the complexity of the capital of La Noguera, with 17,700 inhabitants, which is not even connected to the highway – the C-13 to link it with Lleida is just a promise, and this causes them to lose industrial momentum.

The far-right has already found the culprits for the situation: with 25.2% of foreign population, six points more than in Catalonia, immigrants are pointed to as responsible for coexistence problems. In the 2024 Catalan elections, Aliança Catalana obtained more than 10% of the votes, and Vox reached 6.6%. The mayor, Lorena González Dios, explains to ARA that she even has to battle within her party, the PSC, to fight against this narrative: "There are militants of ours who buy into this discourse. It is very exhausting internally to have to say that this is not the case," she laments, regarding the refrain that supposed insecurity is collapsing everything. An insecurity that, she assures, stems more from perceptions, even though four more police officers have been added to the existing 16. "Good speeches don't take root," she states. And she criticizes the entire parliamentary spectrum: "Parties are giving them more power by talking about them, it seems like they only talk about them."

"The historic center is where the majority of the Roma population lives, now there are also people from Morocco... They haven't given us the neighborhood plan, but we will make allegations," explains the mayor, although she points out that "integration is working." She regrets the setback from Salvador Illa's executive regarding the neighborhood remodeling project. And housing is also a problem: Balaguer has more than 600 empty apartments and 110 illegally occupied, according to the City Council. The council has ceded 13 homes to the Housing Agency, has seven ceded by individuals, and 61 that are owned by the Paeria, but the demand is reaching a hundred.

The discontent

Cristina Bonet is the fifth generation of merceria Bonet, the oldest in Catalonia (since 1865), and leads the downtown merchants. She sees "the city a bit sleepy," but denies "insecurity" – next to the shop is the courthouse. She no longer lives downtown, but on the promenade, a new area. "With the neighborhood plan and more cleaning, there would be more commerce and mobility," she complains. "Dirty streets, abandoned houses, little light... We are not happy, these are decades in which Balaguer and its degradation have not been rectified," she adds.

Alliance, which has not wanted to attend the ARA, At Teresina butcher shop, on Urgell street, Xavier Baldomà notes that commerce has gone "more towards Lleida." His area was "conflictive, due to drugs and violence," but neighborhood pressure has pushed to "reinforce police presence." "There is a lot of immigration, some integrate and some do not," he comments. He understands and censures the growth of parties like Aliança because they "point to a problem without solutions and sell hatred."

Dual immigration

Baldomà's wife is Andreia Gurau, Romanian and the butcher. With perfect Catalan, she arrived two decades ago. According to her, "the lack of light" is "a breeding ground for insecurity." Besides Romanians, there are Latin Americans, Moroccans, and Pakistanis, like Alí, 59, who owns two small supermarkets. He came to Spain twenty years ago and has had the business for a decade, after working as a waiter or cleaner. He speaks Spanish, with difficulty, and understands Catalan, while his six children do speak it. "Catalonia is very good, thank God; you live a decent life and there is good security, not like in Pakistan," he says. Sales are slowing down due to competition from similar businesses, and he admits that "if it weren't for alcohol, they would plummet." He has not noticed hatred for being Muslim and does not know of Islamophobic parties.

Aliança, which has not wanted to respond to ARA, explains insecurity constantly. Municipal sources point out that street violence has not increased, but rather petty theft, property crimes, and sexual freedom offenses, although the data is not detailed. Marc Solanes, leader of Junts in the city, criticizes the deteriorated center and an "inefficient municipal management" with "only 15% of investments executed" last year. He laments the low-intensity linguistic policy to ensure the use of Catalan in business signage and, facing the ultra growth, prescribes "rights and duties." He does see that "there is a perception of insecurity due to incidents of stabbings or drug seizures." On the other hand, he highlights "good coexistence with the Muslim population".