The eviction operation at the large settlement in the former B9 institute in Badalona, the largest of its kind in recent Catalonia history, has left hundreds of people homeless. Although surrounding municipalities expected the transfer to Barcelona, sources from the Barcelona City Council confirmed that the Centre for Social Emergencies (CUESB) will not accommodate them.
The reason given by the Catalan capital is that the eviction was a planned action and thus does not comply with the collaboration agreement signed in 2019 with the Barcelona Metropolitan Area municipalities, which only covers cases of “sudden urgency or emergency.” The agreement stipulates that transfer to Barcelona is the last resort, and municipalities should primarily offer their own resources.
The Mayor of Badalona, Xavier Garcia Albiol, placed responsibility for the situation on Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez. Albiol maintained that his council would not allocate funds for housing those who “make life impossible for neighbors” and confirmed that temporary lodging had only been offered to about 16 or 17 people.
“"Badalona will not spend a single euro on providing housing to those who make life impossible for the neighbors."
In the Catalan Parliament, both the President of the Generalitat, Salvador Illa, and the Minister of Social Rights, Mónica Martínez Bravo, defended the action as responding to a judicial mandate. Martínez Bravo noted that the Government has referred 59 individuals to appropriate resources but reiterated that the responsibility for finding a housing solution lies with the Badalona council.
