212 attacks on political party offices in last three years

212 attacks on political party offices were reported between March 2017 and December 2019 according to the Office of Civil and Political Civil Rights (ODCP). 

Their director, Adam Majó, said that the attacks were "mostly minor," but there were "surely more" that went unreported, as he presented their annual report on Thursday.

The largest number of attacks, 125, occurred on Socialist Party premises, followed by ERC with 47. Ciutadans suffered 11 attacks; CUP, 10; Podem, 7; PDeCAT and PPC, 4 each; and JxCat, 3. 

Majó pointed out that the Socialists systematically send data on graffiti and other types of attacks, which may explain why they appear worst hit. They also have a large number of premises, as do ERC, PDeCAT and JxCat. The ODCP director also noted that some parties did not provide them with any information. 

Despite these figures, Majó stated that in Catalonia there isn’t a "problem of coexistence" but of "unresolved political tension", as most incidents take place in "politicized" spaces. "They do not occur in workplaces or educational centers or leisure spaces," he said.

Voting difficulties

The report also noted that the majority of cases the ODCP dealt with in 2019 were related to the spring election and difficulties with voting, mainly for people born in Catalonia but living abroad, or those born abroad but resident in the state.