Colau calls for calm and stresses that "the most serious thing" that has happened in the demonstrations for Hasél is that a demonstrator has lost an eye
The mayor calls on the PSOE to speed up the pardon for Pablo Hasél and for the Parliament to reopen the debate on the use of foam bullets
BarcelonaAfter four days of riots at the end of the demonstrations in support of Pablo Hasél, Ada Colau has made this Saturday a call for calm in statements to the media and has ensured that, despite understanding that "there are reasons for social unrest", attacks on businesses or urban material "are not a solution". For this afternoon another protest is expected, which could be the largest of those that have occurred up until now, and the Mossos are on alert to prevent a repeat of the disorders of previous nights.
Hours before these statements, the mayor of Barcelona broke her silence through Twitter supporting the agents, who have been questioned. But nevertheless she has asked for Parliament to reopen the debate on the use of foam bullets, and to prohibit or limit their use. In this sense, she has stated that "the most serious thing! that has happened during the riots has been that "a foam bullet" [polyethylene foam] has emptied the eye of a young protester of 19 years of age. "It is not normal that someone, by demonstrating, can lose the vision of an eye", she lamented.
Colau has condemned the destruction and riots because, she said, "they only harm neighbors and businesses, which are already suffering enough" by the effects of the pandemic. However, she stressed that one cannot "criminalize the demonstrations", since she understands that behind there protests there is also "anguish and social unrest", especially among young people, due to the lack of prospects and a very high level of unemployment. To find a solution, the leader of the comuns has encouraged political parties and institutions to work together to build "ambitious social and economic policies" to address the challenges and problems that the protests expose. "We do not have to waste time fighting, but get to work", she concluded.
In addition, the mayor of Barcelona has urged to set aside the political wrangling to work together for "a penal reform" that removes from the Penal Code the crimes of injuries to the Crown, but while this does not come, she asks the PSOE to "expedite the procedures" to pardon the rapper from Lleida, and has said that there is a "general consensus that he should have not been sent to prison".
