The eviction, one of the largest ever carried out in **Catalonia**, affected nearly 400 people who had lived in the former institute in the **Remei** neighborhood for the past two years. Only 17 of the occupants had a place to spend the night, and about fifty requested assistance from municipal **Social Services**. The evictees report that the police only allowed them to take "one backpack," leaving most of their belongings, including work tools and personal items, inside the building.
“"We have been left without a roof to protect us. The administration should do something more for these people; they are 400 people, they are human beings."
The Mayor of **Badalona**, **Xavier García Albiol**, attended the operation and reiterated his stance not to rehouse any of the evictees. In public statements, he asserted that he did not want "conflictive people" in the city, and maintained that his priority is the waiting list of 2,000 **Badalona** residents needing flats. The council's goal is to demolish the building to construct a police station.
The police operation, which began at eight in the morning, involved a large deployment of 25 **ARRO** and **BRIMO** vans. During the operation, the **National Police** detained 20 people under immigration law and identified 181. Simultaneously, over a hundred people demonstrated in the afternoon, called by the **Housing Union**, demanding a housing alternative and denouncing "institutional racism."
Human rights and social organizations strongly criticized the action. **Amnesty International** demanded that an alternative be offered, recalling that authorities have an obligation to protect human rights before, during, and after an eviction. **Cáritas** warned that the action only "displaces" the problem, while the **Socialist Housing Union of Catalonia** noted that there are 8,000 empty flats in **Badalona**.
