Barcelona council to report racist messages at Save Europe Act to prosecutor's office

The Barcelona City Council will report messages of hatred and racism expressed during Saturday's Save Europe Act to the hate crimes unit of the prosecutor's office.

During the event, organizers unfurled a banner with the slogan 'Remigration saves Europe' and chants such as 'It's not immigration, it's invasion', among others, were shouted.

Such messages could constitute a hate crime for religious reasons or for belonging to a certain ethnicity, race, or nation, the city council detailed.

Jaume Collboni's council says they defend the right to demonstrate, but reaffirms that it will not be neutral in the face of this type of message.

The municipal government condemned the racist and xenophobic messages, saying they are contrary to democratic values, ​​and underlined that diversity is one of Barcelona's main assets and an essential part of its identity.

Despite acknowledging that the organizers held the right to demonstrate, the municipal official explained that the City Council has monitored the content of the speeches and will report some of the statements made during the event to the Hate Crimes Prosecutor's Office.

Police cordon

The Mossos d'Esquadra police divided Plaça Sant Jaume in two to prevent contact between antifascist groups and those attending the Save Europe Act rally.

A cordon of police vans separated the groups from one other.

Around 400 people forming part of the antifascist counter-demonstration outnumbered the roughly 100 people who were there for the far-right rally.

Before the arrival of the far-right supporters, the Mossos d'Esquadra carried out several identifications among those gathered for the counter-demonstration, checking backpacks and finding spray cans.

The scene surprised the dozens of tourists who were visiting the square at that time.

The far-right demonstration ended around 8pm, while the antifascist demonstrators also left soon after, without notable incidents.