Five arrested for brawls between minors and traders in Lleida
The mayor points out that the conflict between a large group of young people and residents of the Pakistani and Hindu communities has become entrenched.
BarcelonaFive people, four of them minors, have been arrested since Friday following various incidents recorded this weekend in Lleida. The mayor of the city, Fèlix Larrosa, explained this Monday that the police do not rule out making new arrests, and has located the origin of the incidents in personal conflicts between a large group of young people, mostly between 14 and 17 years old, and merchants and residents of the Pakistani and Hindu communities.
According to Larrosa, the young people allegedly committed several violent episodes, including mobile phone robberies and thefts in establishments. The mayor attributed the confrontations to personal conflicts and group dynamics that, he said, end up targeting communities that often do not report the incidents. Thus, he stressed that it is not an attack between communities, but acts by a group of young people towards a vulnerable collective: "These are serious acts that must be investigated to the end. We must act forcefully with those responsible".
The municipal government met this Monday with the commanders of the Guardia Urbana and the Mossos d'Esquadra and with neighborhood associations to address the mass brawl on Saturday night, in the park area covering the train tracks, in the Balàfia neighborhood, and other isolated confrontations recorded on Friday and Sunday. According to the mayor, the police are investigating the incidents and have identified several minors, most of whom, he assured, have a criminal record, although minors under 14 years of age, who are not criminally liable, could also be involved.
Two of the minors arrested on Friday were released the next day and, according to Larrosa, subsequently allegedly participated in the mass brawl on Saturday. In this confrontation – which took place at the roundabout located between Rosa Parks and Sant Ruf avenues in Lleida – about fifty people from the Pakistani community participated, who, according to the mayor, intended to "intimidate" the young people to try to put an end to the attacks and robberies.
Patterns of violence
Police on Saturday arrested an adult, who is awaiting judicial proceedings, accused of intentional homicide attempted degree for injuries. It is a merchant, and is the victim of multiple thefts. On Sunday, the Guardia Urbana arrested two more minors for a robbery and an assault in a premises. The minors are mainly Spanish and Maghrebi. "I am the first to demand more firmness at all levels, but in no way should episodes like the one that has occurred be used to stigmatize or dehumanize entire communities," said Larrosa.
Faced with the accumulation of violent incidents, the mayor of Lleida has announced a special security operation in the park area above the tracks, affecting the neighborhoods of Balàfia, Pardinyes, and El Clot, to prevent new clashes between the two groups.
Junts and the PP had already called on the Paeria to reinforce security measures. On the one hand, Junts advocates for reinforcing community policing, especially in areas and time slots with more incidents, improving coordination between the Guardia Urbana and the Mossos, and specifically addressing episodes of juvenile violence. The party also proposes using technological tools to detect incident patterns and anticipate conflicts.
On the other hand, the PP has accused Fèlix Larrosa's government of allowing a situation of “discontrol and insecurity” and has demanded an “urgent” shock plan, with more police presence and prevention measures. The opposition leader, Xavier Palau, said that Lleida is becoming “a lawless city”. In the same statement, Palau linked insecurity with immigrant communities and called for “urgent filtering”, in statements where he also spoke of people with “primitive and medieval behaviors”.