Around two hundred protesters tried to boycott the opening of the third edition of The District, the real estate congress taking place in Barcelona. Wearing raincoats and white masks, those gathered tried, unsuccessfully, to sneak into La Fira, where the meeting is taking place.
The attempt foiled by the police presence, the entities headed towards the subway, to another station from which the premises can also be accessed. At their exit, a Mossos device was waiting for them, which encapsulated the demonstrators. Since then, there have been moments of tension and the agents have charged up to three times the demonstrators who tried to escape control. The episode caused an injury that had to be treated by the medical services.
After the charges, the protesters returned to the subway, which took them to the starting point and they stood in front of a strong police cordon on which they threw colored powder, provoking new police charges. The action was initially aimed at the participants of the congress, eager to repeat the protests of previous years.
The entities that defend the right to housing consider that The District “deepens the dynamics of looting that impoverishes and expels residents from their homes.” This was expressed in a statement signed by more than a hundred entities, including housing associations such as the Sindicat de Llogateres or the PAH, but also environmentalists, feminists or unions such as the CGT.
Finally, given the impossibility of accessing the premises, the demonstrators occupied the administrative district of the Generalitat, headquarters of several “conselleries”, for just over half an hour. On the way out, several dozen demonstrators were arrested and identified by the police. This merger of entities “shows society’s frontal rejection of this economic model based on the circus that Barcelona has become”, declared Marta Espriu, spokesperson for the Platform against the Neighborhood, moments before the action.
This is the third edition of the meeting, which is held in Barcelona and brings together investment fund managers from around the world, focused primarily on housing. Among the speakers selected this year, figures such as CBRE, JP Morgan, Goldman Sachs and Blackstone stand out.
Year after year, this congress has been under the spotlight of social movements and entities for the right to housing such as the PAH or the Tenants’ Union, which have tried to boycott its inauguration. In the first editions, protesters threw paint and colored powder at the participants and tried to infiltrate the room, causing some clashes with the Mossos d’Esquadra.
