Barcelona police – A neighborhood association complained that, before the event, the entire neighborhood had been cordoned off. “For days the neighborhood has been saturated with police and private security companies,” said one resident, Aidà Almirall Serra, adding that armed police demanded identification documents and searched parents’ bags when they picked up their children from daycare.
Catalan police have been criticized for baton-beating people protesting against the closure of Barcelona’s Park Güell to host a fashion show organized by Louis Vuitton, as anger grows that the city is being overrun by tourists and glitzy international events to the detriment of the local population. life.
“People from all over the city joined the protest that night and the police reaction was totally disproportionate,” Almirall Serra said.Barcelona police
The Louis Vuitton show, dubbed Cruise 2025 in a nod to the Copa América sailing competition being held in the city this summer, attracted celebrities including Pharrell Williams, Sophie Turner, Ana de Armas and former Barcelona soccer coach Xavi Hernandez. Bernard Arnault, CEO of luxury goods group LVMH.Barcelona police
Protesters carried signs that said “Your luxury is our misery” and “The neighborhood is not your runway.” Police said seven officers were injured, none seriously. No protesters were injured.
Next month, Passeig de Gràcia, the city’s luxury shopping street, will host a parade of Formula One cars ahead of the Spanish Grand Prix, and next year Barcelona will host the Business of Luxury from the Financial Times.
Almirall Serra was not impressed by the argument that these types of events would attract quality tourism when the question was not who, but how many. “Even tourists complain that there are too many tourists,” he said. “The problem in the case of the walkways is twofold: passivity and impunity.Barcelona police
He claimed that the city had gone out of its way to host the event and failed to inform residents or comply with its own bylaws, which state that the park, designed by Antoni Gaudi, can only be used for nonprofit scientific or educational purposes. events. Part of the park’s famous staircase was damaged during the staging of the fashion show.Barcelona police