Students protest bullying in Barcelona: "They're not suicides, they're murders."

Barcelona"Schools should be a safe place," lamented Eider Bustos, spokesperson for the Student Union. Like her, some 1,500 students, according to the Guardia Urbana, took to the streets of Barcelona on Tuesday to protest against bullying following the suicide of Sandra, a 14-year-old girl in Seville who had reported bullying, and to demand an investigation. The suicide of a minor in Almacelles in July, who had reported being a victim of bullying. The protesters demanded more resources to prevent this scourge, improve the mental health of young people, and end hate speech. "They are not suicides, they are murders," claimed the student march, which started at Plaça Universitat and ended at Plaça Sant Jaume, in front of the Palau de la Generalitat and Barcelona City Hall.

Bustos argued that "Sandra's death is not an isolated case," but rather a sign that the "system is failing and abandoning them." The union spokesperson believes that her death "could have been avoided," and therefore demanded that the autonomous communities and the Spanish government "invest more in public education" and increase the presence of psychologists and social workers in schools. Those in attendance also called for an investigation. the suicide of a minor in Almacelles to clarify the causes, a case that the Mossos d'Esquadra are already trying to unravel.

"Those responsible"

In the rally's manifesto, the organizers named those they consider "responsible" for Sandra's suicide: the management of the Irlandesas de Loreto school in Seville, the Andalusian Regional Government, and the hate speech of the far right. In fact, Bustos believes that bullying is also "an example of how far-right discourse penetrates youth." Therefore, the union maintains that "we must get to the root of the problem and point out those truly responsible for this happening."

Also attending the demonstration were members of the Trencats association against violence in schools, promoted by the parents of Kira López, who also committed suicide and which works to eradicate bullying. Another of the anti-bullying associations that participated is NACE, and its president, Carmen Cabestany, called for preventive and intervention measures to address the issue. She also accused the Department of Education of inaction and warned that "one or two actions are not enough" to combat bullying.

Another of the protesters' demands is a school suicide plan to prevent further cases. The president of NACE has suggested that the protocols not be implemented by the school itself, but rather be externally supervised, to prevent data from being "manipulated," thereby providing information on bullying cases, and ensuring that bullying is not treated "as something for children."