Eviction of street merchants from Barcelona's La Rambla suspended
'Old bird vendors' have a long-running dispute with the council, which wants to evict them as part of a reform of the iconic boulevard
Street merchants on Barcelona's iconic La Rambla boulevard will not be evicted - at least for now.
The merchants had until Thursday to hand over their keys or face eviction, but a judge has temporarily suspended the closure of the shops.
The city council wants to evict the merchants as part of a reform of La Rambla that began last month and aims to change the perception that the boulevard is strictly for tourists.
Known in Catalan as 'ocellaires', or 'old bird sellers', the merchants on La Rambla used to sell birds and other animals.
In 2009 they stopped selling birds and now sell souvenirs, ice cream, tickets and sweets.
The 'ocellaires' do not intend to hand over the keys, claiming that there is no court order forcing them to do so.
The city council gave them 10 days to hand over the keys and said it would take further legal action if they did not comply.
The court now has three days to rule on the matter, and until it does, the eviction is suspended.
Since 2021, when the eviction was announced, the merchants have filed several legal appeals, none of which have been successful. They have now appealed to the European Court of Human Rights.
The traders believe that the eviction is being carried out "solely for political purposes and not with the support of the courts."
They are calling for a negotiated solution and warn that if the eviction goes ahead, around 100 people will be left without work.
"When someone takes a problem to a judge, the relation with the public administration is only through the courts. This happens when someone pushes to the limit and files a complaint. The judge will tell us what to do next, and we'll need to obey their ruling," mayor Jaume Collboni said.
After the eviction, the stalls will be demolished to leave more space for pedestrians.
La Rambla reform
The renovation is expected to be completed in January 2027, taking three years instead of the originally planned six.
The €55 million project will result in a completely new La Rambla, more comfortable, greener and more pedestrian-friendly, according to the city council.
When the work is completed, there will be a single lane in each direction and more space for pedestrians.
FOLLOW CATALAN NEWS ON WHATSAPP!
Get the day's biggest stories right to your phone