Evicted a settlement in Montjuïc for security reasons

BarcelonaThe Barcelona City Council has evicted a settlement this Friday in the Sants-Montjuïc district where about thirty people, all adults, were staying overnight. The Guàrdia Urbana and the Barcelona Social Emergency and Urgency Centre (CUESB) have expelled the occupants from the premises, located at number 56 Josep Carner street, next to the Ronda Litoral and near the Montjuïc Fire Station. According to the municipal government, the action aims to address "various risk and safety factors" affecting both the homeless and the citizens in the surrounding area.

Councilwoman Marta Villanueva explained that the decision was made to evict the 32 homeless individuals to prevent serious risks to the environment, as well as to "guarantee the correct use of public space," and assured that it was a "necessary intervention." Most likely, the majority of those evicted will move to a new space in the public thoroughfare.

According to Guàrdia Urbana reports, the occupied space interfered with vehicle circulation, as the settlement was located at the entry and exit point of the B-10. The municipal government also defended the eviction citing sanitary reasons: individuals with detected health problems were staying there, which also put the people with whom they shared the space at risk. Furthermore, Villanueva pointed out that 148 incidents have been recorded in this space related to violent crimes, drug consumption and trafficking, and knife fights — a 410% increase from last year.

Volunteer attention point

Villanueva added that the homeless people received prior notice of the eviction and that CUESB agents opened an attention point during the operation, where those in need could voluntarily approach. Although he assured that "the accompaniment and attention" to those affected is maintained at all times, only three of the 32 people evicted approached the service agents. "Homeless people are quite reluctant to receive attention," reported Juaní Soriano, territorial head of the entity. Villanueva has called for voluntary engagement with social services to "be able to continue working and accompanying people in situations of homelessness".

A call for the protection of the most vulnerable

Regarding references to drug use in the space where the evicted lived, the Catalan Federation of Drug Addiction and other Addictions (FCD) has denounced that it cannot be resolved solely as a matter of security and order. "These are complex situations linked to housing shortages, poverty, and social exclusion," they explained. The Federation calls for the problem not to be displaced, but for its root cause to be addressed, and for "real social, health, and residential alternatives" to be offered to the affected individuals.

Arrels, for its part, has requested a moratorium on the eviction of people experiencing homelessness while administrations “do not finalize an agreement on a strategy to address homelessness”. The foundation's director, Beatriz Fernández, added that this eviction will not permanently resolve the problem, as, despite displacement, these people "will be in the same conditions tomorrow".

Arrels recalled that, in recent months, 250 people have been evicted from the Zona Franca, and 50 who lived in La Sagrera, as well as several evictions in spaces such as El Prat airport, Ciutadella Park, or Estació del Nord. The foundation emphasized that these people are increasingly suffering from "greater vulnerability", especially with the current climate crisis and extreme heat, which particularly affect the most unprotected groups.