Those evicted from B9 take refuge under a highway bridge

BarcelonaA quarantine of People evicted from the former B9 Institute in Badalona They have camped under exit 210 of the C-31 highway in Badalona, ​​in the heart of the Sant Roc neighborhood, where they spent last night seeking refuge from the rain and cold. The group had set up camp right in front of the derelict building and complains that the local police evicted them and are not allowing them to light fires for warmth. Meanwhile, social organizations are looking for a temporary solution that will allow them to leave the street.

But the decision to move under the bridge has not pleased the mayor of Barcelona, ​​Xavier García Albiol, who, in statements to RAC1, indicated that he will also order them to dismantle their tents. "Camping is not allowed in our city," he said, although he indicated that he will be lenient while the rain lasts, while also preventing the situation from "prolonging." Social organizations that support the group looked for alternative locations on Friday in anticipation of the rain and concluded that this was the most suitable place to shelter them.

At this point under the highway, dozens of tents have been set up, where the evacuees took refuge overnight and remain this Saturday morning, sheltered from the rain. After the eviction of the former B9 institute Last Wednesday morning, this marked the third night the evicted residents have spent sleeping rough. "We are working to restore normalcy to the area, and regulations do not permit camping in the city," Albiol clarified, responding directly to criticisms of "institutional racism" and a lack of support for those evicted from building B9. "What the city council should be doing is providing housing or paying a pension to 400 people who were illegally occupying a building? Is this it?" the mayor of Badalona asked aloud.

Criticism of UN rapporteurs: "It'll be a joke"

"And if another 400 arrive, do we have to do it too? Those who make these proposals are the ones exploiting these people," Albiol retorted, adding that "you can't take in absolutely everyone." "Material and economic resources are finite and can't be stretched like chewing gum," the mayor of Badalona emphasized, reminding everyone that the 400 migrants were "illegally" occupying the former B9 high school. At the same time, Albiol criticized the two UN rapporteurs who condemned the eviction from B9 and warned that it could be a "serious violation" of human rights. "That must be a joke. To begin with, they didn't ask for the opinion of the Badalona City Council, much less its mayor," the mayor lamented on the radio, according to ACN.

"And secondly, is illegal employment a crime and I have to accept it? For human rights reasons? [Accept] people who have been making life impossible for the neighbors in the area for two years?" Albiol asked, repeating the three questions. He specified that there were about 30-40 people in Badalona. "On the day of the eviction, there was a unit with ten social services workers inside to assist everyone. Only about fifty people came forward," estimated Albiol, who insisted that the space of the former B9 high school is needed to build a police station between the Sant Roc and El Remei neighborhoods. "This is an area with a problem of social breakdown, with many homes having their electricity illegally tapped into the grid. We have to find a solution," concluded the mayor of Badalona.