Prison workers report more than 100 assaults on inmates and staff in 12 days

Prison workers protested again on Monday at the gates of Brians 2 prison near Barcelona in a new wave of demonstrations demanding increased security measures.

There, they denounced that there have been more than a hundred assaults on inmates and staff members in the last 12 days since the killing of a cook at the Mas d'Enric prison.

They explained that new attacks took place over the past weekend in the Ponent and Lledoners prisons.

Sources have confirmed that on Saturday an inmate scratched an official and hit another on the finger in Ponent, while on Sunday two Lledoners officials were hit in the face and chin by two different inmates.

However, Justice Department sources have denied that there have been that many attacks in such a short time. 

About fifty demonstrators gathered at the Brians 2 prison with placards reading "Nuria was murdered" or "[President] Aragonès is complicit".

Jordi, a worker in the Ponent prison, said that the reality of the prison staff is to suffer aggressions "day after day," and criticized that the government's actions are "all smoke and mirrors."

Francina, a worker at Mas d'Enric prison, said that in the last twelve days, some sixty inmates and thirty staff members have suffered some form of aggression. "Every day, ten people are attacked," she said. 

Alberto Gómez, representative of the Spanish Central Union of Independent and Public Employees (CSIF), said that the attacks over the weekend were "not an isolated event," but were part of an "increase in aggression and violence" that they have denounced in recent years. 

The protesters called for the resignation of the Justice Minister Gemma Ubasart and of the secretary of penitentiary measures Armand Calderó, a demand that the government has already rejected.

The demonstration gained visibility as it coincided with the release from prison of former FC Barcelona footballer Dani Alves.

Prison workers block access to Catalan jails

The tragic incident, which occurred on March 13,  sparked protests across Catalan prisons.

Workers blocked the entrances to several Catalan prisons for three days, leaving thousands of inmates confined to their cells due to understaffing.

For hours, prisoners were unable to leave their cells, go outdoors, or receive visits from their families and lawyers.