Gunmanship, marijuana and murders: Junts puts the pedal to the metal against insecurity in Barcelona

BarcelonaJunts' primaries in Barcelona are not only serving to dispute the legacy of former mayor Xavier Trias —who has given explicit support to the municipal leader, Jordi Martí— but have also consolidated Carles Puigdemont's party's drive against insecurity in Barcelona. This was evident in the four-way debate on the last day of the primaries campaign, where issues such as daylight murders, drug trafficking like marijuana, and dirtiness due to incivility and binge tourism were addressed. This weekend, the party's Barcelona militants will decide the mayoral candidate between Martí, Congresswoman Pilar Calvo – close to the national leadership –, MP and Parliament's table secretary, Glòria Freixa – pragmatic liberal –, and former MP and Puigdemont's former lawyer, Jaume Alonso-Cuevillas.

"Barcelona smells of marijuana in many places and gun violence cannot be tolerated," Cuevillas stated, mixing drug trafficking and insecurity. "With a death on Balmes street, this is no longer a minor issue. Living in our country is free," Freixa, who sees the city in a "very serious" situation, lamented in turn. Here, Martí has committed to personally take on "the political leadership" of the Guàrdia Urbana to improve security in all neighborhoods, not just above Diagonal: "Daylight murders are not only on Balmes street, Glòria, but also in La Marina in the Zona Franca," he pointed out.

Calvo focused on highlighting the work done by her group in Madrid, emphasizing the need to implement the law against repeat offending. She lamented the "fear" felt by citizens and repeatedly criticized the Minister of the Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, for not expelling enough foreigners who commit crimes: "Minister Marlaska has the lowest expulsion rate," she asserted.

With a similar national commitment –although Cuevillas has been encouraged by saying that as future mayor he plans to greet Puigdemont as "president of the Republic"–, housing has brought together another of the multiple consensuses among the candidates. They have all shown themselves against excessive regulation, such as the 30% reservation for protected housing or price caps, and in favor of "public-private" collaboration with strong investment from the City Council. Calvo has even asked to copy Sant Cugat, which has extended the minimum number of years of registration to ten to access protected housing. Freixa has spoken of a minimum of five.

In the tourism section, all have prioritized family, cultural and congress tourism, censoring "drunken tourism" and calling for cruise regulation. A similar agreement to the promotion of the Catalan language, in which all have shown a firm commitment to enhance its use, starting with the example of institutions.

Trias's legacy

asked to avoid in an interview with ARAIt has been a duel between four candidates who have similar opinions –all from Sarrià-Sant Gervasi–, which has been heating up in recent days due to the support – especially internal – from part of the leadership for Calvo and also from personalities close to Carles Puigdemont, such as his lawyer, Gonzalo Boye. Her efforts to reduce competition, however, have failed, and the attempt to attract Freixa has not succeeded. Nor have the attempts by part of the leadership to convince Cuevillas to abandon the race been successful –as he himself has revealed.

Once the options from outside the party failed, Puigdemont's favorite was the national spokesperson, Josep Rius, who withdrew from the race when Martí made it public that he wanted primaries. The leadership was reluctant, but eventually accepted that it could not impose a candidate against the will of the membership. Voices like that of former president Artur Mas, also a former councilor, have preferred to stay on the sidelines and not support any candidate, according to informed sources. But what is evident is that, beyond Barcelona, these primaries will have a national reading. If the candidate closest to the leadership is Calvo, what will happen if she doesn't win? Internally, will there be an attempt to avoid a possible interpretation that Cuevillas asked to avoid in an interview with ARA: will it have been a plebiscite on Puigdemont?