The festival of Sant Joan has been again mass in Barcelona for the first time after the restrictions due to the coronavirus, by gathering 60,000 people on the beaches, on a night in which there have been 14 detainees and complaints have been filed two sexual assaults and one sexual abuse in Barceloneta.
This was explained by the Deputy Mayor for Security of Barcelona City Council, Albert Batlle, who appeared before journalists to take stock of the festival in the Catalan capital, once the Mossos d’Esquadra and the Guardia Urbana had already They had evacuated the beaches, since 6:30 a.m., so that they were ready for bathers, starting at 9:00.
positive balance
Batlle has highlighted that the balance in the usual spaces for celebrating the verbena has been “positive”, especially on the beaches, which have brought together some 60,000 people, a figure similar to that of the years before the pandemic -Last year it was 25,000-.
The massive presence of people celebrating the festival of San Juan on the beaches of Barcelona – where the cleaning teams have removed 25 tons of waste in the morning-contrasts with the “little influx” in the rest of the city’s spaces, according to Batlle.
The Mossos d’Esquadra and the Urban Guard have deployed throughout the verbena in Barcelona to a total of 800 agentson a night in which the emergency services received 2,106 incident calls in the Catalan capital, compared to 1,745 last year.
Barceloneta
According to Batlle, in Barceloneta, which has brought together the most massive parties, the security forces have handled 32 incidents, including three for robberies with violence and intimidation, three for assaults, two for sexual assault, one for sexual abuse and two for nuisance in public space.
Despite this, there is no record for now of any request for care at the lilac points that have been established to care for victims of sexual assault, while 35 safe itinerary points have been covered to try to avoid violations in the movement between party areas and public transport points.
14 arrested
During this night, the Urban Guard has arrested 14 people for security reasons, nine of them for theft, two for gender-based violence and three for robbery with violence.
In addition, during the verbena there have been 13 traffic accidents with injuries in Barcelona, where 25 drivers have tested positive for breathalyzers.
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La Urbana has also inspected several premises and has filed several complaints for non-compliance with closing hours.
The deputy mayor has also detailed that in the Plaza de Catalunya and in Nou Barris There have been some incidents due to fights and aggressions, but all of them of a minor nature. EFE