BARCELONA – Residents of Barcelona’s Barceloneta district are calling on Mayor Jaume Collboni to bring order to the local beaches. “Every morning there are drunk tourists coming out of clubs and sleeping on the beach.”
This is what Manel Martínez, spokesman for the neighbourhood association, said. In addition to drunk tourists, the neighbourhood also struggles with thieves and other nuisance makers. “There are points along the boulevard where criminals gather and sell drugs,” Martínez explains. He notes that these places are becoming increasingly dilapidated.
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Social problem on Barcelona beaches
According to the neighbourhood association, there is a combination of problems. Barceloneta’s beaches are inhabited by a mix of ‘low-cost’ tourists, street vendors and people in difficult living conditions.
Unregulated street trading
The presence of street vendors offering everything from massages to tattoos is a growing problem. Many of these sellers live not only on the beach but also in crowded basements nearby, which can lead to dangerous situations.
Call to action
The residents are demanding that the city government intervene and restore the city’s public spaces, including the beaches. “We not only have a public order problem, but also a social problem. Something has to be done,” Martínez concludes.
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