“We are listening to music, we have every right, there are no fights!”, Shouts a woman with her breasts in the air to the riot police who have broken into the abandoned warehouse in Llinars del Vallès (Barcelona) this Saturday at noon to put an end a
rave
that lasts since New Years Eve.
The woman makes fuss and continues shouting at the Mossos, while the hundred people who still want to party remain waiting for the imminent eviction.
The agents have begun to identify the participants and communicate the corresponding sanction to them for breaking the bans to stop the spread of the coronavirus.
A police operation controls an illegal 'rave' with 150 people in Llinars del Vallès
At 12 noon, an excavator has removed the stones that those attending the illegal party had placed at the entrance of the warehouse and has cleared access to the police.
Anti-riot agents of the Mossos have taken positions inside the ship.
There is celebrated, at least from 9:00 p.m. on December 31 - the time when the residents of the area reported it - an illegal party without any type of health security measure: there are no masks, nor of course social distance, only electronic music and dozens of vans parked on the site of the abandoned factory.
The Mossos estimate that between 300 and 400 people have been able to participate in the party, which has lasted for at least 40 hours.
During this time, the Catalan police have been present on the perimeter of the ship and have identified only some of the people who left it.
But they have chosen not to evict to avoid serious incidents.
This inaction over more than a day and a half, in the midst of the pandemic, has opened a new confrontation within the Catalan Government.
The device of the Mossos, who chose to give the occupants margin to leave the ship voluntarily - something that has not happened - put the Department of Health on alert on January 1.
The general director of the Mossos d'Esquadra, Pere Ferrer has sentenced this Saturday from inside the ship: "From here, all will be sanctioned."
Ferrer ensures that attendees will receive complaints of up to 3,000 euros.
In the operation the Mossos have arrested three of the organizers and according to the director of the regional police they could be fined up to 600,000 euros.
After identifying the attendees, the Mossos proceeded to carry out the breathalyzer test on all drivers, so the penalties can be accumulated.
Ferrer has taken cover by assuring that they could not avoid the rave because on New Year's Eve there were "3,000 agents throughout Catalonia who were dedicated to guaranteeing the safety of 7.5 million inhabitants" who, in principle, could not be in the public road from 1.00 in the morning.
"What is evident is that a hasty action a few hours after a year-end device, with today's magnitude of 200 agents, yesterday could not have been produced with guarantees" neither for the agents nor for the police, he said. .
On Friday, when the news of the rave celebration was known, Minister Alba Vergés (Esquerra Republicana) asked the Minister of the Interior, Miquel Sàmper, to immediately end the party, identify the participants and impose the appropriate sanctions .
The illegal party has caused unrest among residents and mayors of the area.
The nightlife employers have joined the criticism, one of the most affected this New Year's Eve by the forced closure of the nightclubs.
"We will review with the Interior how the events have developed to prevent a situation of these characteristics from happening again and the actions are faster," said, through Twitter, the vice president of the Generalitat with functions of president, Pere Aragonès.
The Junts per Catalunya candidate for the presidency of the Generalitat, Laura Borràs, described it as "unacceptable and outrageous" that it has taken so long to dismantle the illegal party.
"You have to have updated protocols so that you can act without incomprehensible delays."
Health sources consider that the Mossos should have applied before the usual protocol in case of parties that violate the regulations against the coronavirus.
And they insist that the identification of the participants is necessary to monitor them and prevent the spread of the virus.
A good part of those attending the rave come from countries such as France or Belgium, and some of them have evaded the perimeter controls of the police by escaping from the farm through rural roads.