25-year-old fatally stabbed on second night of Barcelona's La Mercè celebrations

A 25-year-old was stabbed to death in Barcelona in the early hours of September 25 in an incident that is not believed to be related to the looting and vandalism that took place nearby over an hour later.  

In an interview with Catalunya Ràdio on Sunday morning, mayor Ada Colau said the stabbing had nothing to do with the vandalism because of "the time and place" it occurred. 

Initial reports stated that the 25-year-old had been killed in the Poble-sec neighborhood, near Avinguda Paral·lel and Carrer de Lleida streets, but Barcelona councilor for safety Albert Batlle confirmed that the person in question was found at 3:16 am beside the entrance to the Espanya metro stop beside the Venetian towers. 

"A person was stabbed and then an hour and a half later there was rioting," Batlle said, adding that the events had "nothing to do" with one another. 

According to Batlle, the Guàrdia Urbana officers notified the emergency medical services but were unable to do anything to save the 25-year-old. The police investigation is ongoing. 

Looting and vandalism

The second night of Barcelona's annual La Mercè celebrations was also marred by looting and vandalism near Plaça Espanya square.

As police attempted to get revelers to start making their way home in the early hours of Sunday at around 4:40, some 500 people began to vandalize street furniture, set motorcycles and dumpsters on fire, and loot stores. They also threw objects at officers and street cleaners. 

Around 100 motorcycles were set on fire and a charcuterie store on Creu Coberta street was ransacked. 

12 people were arrested by Guàrdia Urbana and Mossos d'Esquadra police officers.

Last year there were clashes between police and La Mercè revelers in the same area, and Batlle said that from now on, officers will be "paying special attention" to the Creu Coberta-Carretera de Sants street over the festivities. 

Barcelona councilor for culture Jordi Martí, however, highlighted that despite these events, "most La Mercè activities in the city took place with absolutely no incident."

La Mercè activities, from concerts to human towers or dance performances, will take place across the city until Monday. 

Opposition accuses Colau of downplaying incidents

Members of the opposition in the Barcelona council have called for further explanation, accusing both mayor Colau, of anti-austerity Barcelona En Comú, and councilor Batlle, of the Socialist party, of downplaying the incidents that took place in the early hours of Sunday morning.

"We need a thorough investigation to find the perpetrators and bring them to justice," Esquerra council member Jordi Coronas tweeted, describing Colau and Batlle's comments as "insufficient."

"We need a clear message from them and they shouldn't make excuses by minimizing what happened," he said. 

Similarly, Junts council member Jordi Martí Galbis, said the incident was "extremely serious" and warned Barcelona is "turning into an unsafe city." He also criticized the fact that La Mercè celebrations went ahead "as if nothing had happened" 300 meters from where a 25-year-old was stabbed to death. 

"Barcelona is Spain's most dangerous city as authorities look the other way and make excuses," Ciudadanos' Luz Guitarte complained.

Valents, the party founded by former French prime minister Manuel Valls, sent out a press release in which they said "Barcelona has a serious safety issue" and called for the areas where concerts are held to be "redefined" in order to "ensure attendees' safety."

Barcelona saw a 12% drop in criminal acts overall last summer compared to the summer of 2019, but arrests for sexual violence increased significantly.