The Prosecutor's Office asks Albiol to clarify what emergency assistance he has given to those evicted from the B9 building.

BarcelonaThe Public Prosecutor's Office has asked the judge who authorized the eviction of the former B9 Institute in Badalona to request explanations from the City Council, led by Xavier García Albiol of the People's Party, regarding what measures have been taken to protect the vulnerable people who were evicted. The Public Prosecutor's Office requested information "as a matter of urgency" about any incidents that occurred during the eviction and what the City Council did to protect the occupants of the premises until a week ago. Until a few weeks ago, approximately 400 people lived there, and nearly 100 have spent the last week homeless. Sources within the Public Prosecutor's Office, consulted by ARA, confirmed that the request was made through a report in the same legal proceedings in which the Administrative Court No. 11 of Barcelona authorized the eviction in early December. In the same court order authorizing the eviction of the occupants of building B9, the judge noted that the eviction would affect "people in highly vulnerable situations," and therefore warned that it would be necessary to take "the measures foreseen in the municipal services' protocol for assisting homeless people and provide them with emergency social assistance." From the very day of the eviction, however, Albiol publicly stated that he did not want to spend "a single euro" to house those evicted and has repeatedly rejected the reopening of the Can Bofí Vell shelter, which has been closed for two years due to alleged deficiencies and which some of those evicted occupied this week. The court order authorizing the eviction also requested a report "as soon as possible" on "all the measures adopted" to address the social emergency. It is based on this order that the Public Prosecutor's Office is now going to the court to request this information from the Badalona City Council. The judge will be responsible for requesting the aforementioned explanations from the council.

The council defends itself

Municipal sources indicate that the City Council has not yet received any request from the court. In response to questions from ARA, they explained that the council is preparing a report on the actions taken by social services since the eviction. In this regard, they point out that they had worked "in advance with the people from building B9 and found temporary solutions for some 17 people who were being monitored by social services and were especially vulnerable." On the day of the eviction, they add, social services assisted around 50 people. Furthermore, the council ruled out using the Can Bofí Vell shelter to house those evicted, but assures that it is working "to open [another location] a temporary accommodation facility that follows the model being implemented in Barcelona." Isla: "Irresponsibility doesn't go unpunished"

"The Catalan government's priority is to resolve the situation, discreetly and diligently." With these words, the President of the Generalitat, Salvador Illa, explained that they are trying to find a solution for the dozens of occupants of the former B9 Institute in Badalona who are now living on the streets. However, there is still no announcement to be made: "I hope that in the coming hours there will be tangible signs in this direction," Illa stated. The head of the Catalan government called for "calm," especially among the residents of Badalona, ​​following the protests of recent days. President Illa also criticized, without naming him directly, the mayor of Badalona, ​​Xavier García Albiol. For example, he thanked the organizations working to resolve this situation. "They don't give interviews, they work," he said, and shortly afterward added: "Irresponsibility doesn't go unpunished and has consequences." At the press conference reviewing the 2025 results, the head of the Catalan government stated that he had spoken with Albiol, but that he wished to remain discreet. Illa insisted that the Catalan government guarantees "compliance with the law, peaceful coexistence, and humanist values."

Puigdemont's reaction

For his part, former Catalan president and Junts leader Carles Puigdemont has demanded that immigration powers be transferred to Catalonia so that it can address situations like that of the people evicted from the B9 housing complex. In a message released this Tuesday, he argued that the Catalan government should assume these powers and that municipalities should be provided "with the legal tools and material resources to respond responsibly to the concerns of the public." Dozens of people were evicted from the B9 last week and have been sleeping rough, most of them under a bridge on the C-31 highway. Some organizations in the city have arranged to take in about thirty people, but many still have nowhere to go. Even when a space has been secured for some to sleep in, it has faced opposition from local residents.

Puigdemont attributed this rejection to the "inflammatory attitude" of the city's mayor, Xavier García Albiol, and deemed it urgent to "restore peaceful coexistence and respect for fundamental rights." "Under no circumstances can the most fundamental rights be called into question or put at risk," he emphasized, and warned that "extremism offers no solutions to conflicts; on the contrary, it fuels them to gain electoral advantage." In this regard, he pointed to the PP—Albiol's party—and the PSOE as "incapable of proposing solutions to a problem they themselves have helped create." He also criticized the president of the Generalitat, Salvador Illa, for his "absence" during this crisis, and prescribed "serenity and courage" to "recognize the reality that exists" in many municipalities and that "must be addressed rigorously, not with demagoguery."

Sílvia Orriols, leader of Aliança Catalana, has already responded to Puigdemont. As she did a few days ago, urging citizens to welcome the people occupying the warehouse in Badalona, ​​the far-right leader has challenged the former president to take them in at the Casa de la República (House of the Republic). "You share responsibility for the damage the country is suffering. You have no credibility and no solutions. You are the past. And we Catalans sold our future," she retorted in response to Junts' demand to manage immigration.

The left wing attacks Albiol

Left-wing groups have indeed criticized Albiol for fueling a conflict they describe as a social emergency. Jordi Albert, deputy spokesperson for ERC in the Catalan Parliament, called for "guaranteeing basic human rights" for the 400 evicted residents and criticized Albiol for "not offering solutions, but rather putting forward xenophobic proposals." "This is a human rights emergency, and the B9 case, unfortunately, is an example of what cannot be allowed to happen again. We all have to work together to solve this problem because it's not something that appears overnight; it affects people living on the margins of society," he stated. David Cid, spokesperson for Comuns in the Catalan Parliament, described the actions of the mayor of Badalona as "ruthless" and his administration as "failing." "Badalona is a city that has a dog beach, but not a shelter for the homeless," he criticized. Cid criticized Albiol for saying he "has no resources" and for being capable of treating people like animals. "His attitude is absolutely indistinguishable from that of the far right," she concluded.

CUP deputy Pilar Castillejo also criticized Albiol, calling him an "arsonist," but she also attacked Isla and the role of the Mossos d'Esquadra (Catalan police) in the conflict. She pointed out that on the day of the eviction, the Mossos offered support to the local police, and that on Sunday, when a group of residents gathered in front of the Montserrat parish church to prevent the sheltering of about fifteen evicted people, the Catalan police force was not present: "We didn't see the Mossos protecting the residents here."

He also criticized the lack of action by the Ministry of Social Rights during the eviction and urged Isla to force Albiol to register the evicted residents despite his refusal. "Mr. Isla also bears responsibility for what is happening if his government does not act and put an end to the undignified situation currently faced by the people and neighbors who lived in building B9," he emphasized. The PP spokesperson, Juan Fernández, also urged Isla to resolve the situation and "not resign" from his responsibilities, but, aligning himself with Albiol, stated that he does not consider the former occupants of the high school to be "neighbors" because they were "illegally occupying" municipal property.