'This is just the beginning': 1,000 protest in El Prat against Barcelona Airport expansion

Around a thousand people gathered on Saturday afternoon in El Prat de Llobregat to protest against the proposed expansion of Barcelona Airport.

El Prat, located just south of Barcelona, is home to the Catalan capital's main airport, which the government announced plans to expand this week.

A local environmental and neighborhood platform Ni un Pam de Terra (Not One Inch of Land) organized the demonstration, saying the expansion project "only serves the interests of business elites, lining the pockets of a few."

Organizers described the Catalan government as "criminal," and warned that "this is only the beginning" of a series of demonstrations aimed at halting the expansion "just like what happened four years ago."

Protesters argue that increasing airport operations would "worsen the environmental crisis" and called on authorities to preserve natural areas, expressing skepticism toward the proposed environmental compensation measures.

Braving sweltering heat, demonstrators voiced their strong opposition to what they described as a project "prioritizing economic and business elites over the broader public interest."

Ni un Pam de Terra spokesperson Marcel Juan framed the demonstration as a "joint struggle" uniting local and ecological movements against political parties that, in his view, fail to defend the public interest.

He singled out the local branch of the Socialists, accusing them of reversing their stance on the expansion.

"Four years ago, they opposed it. Now, magically, after a drought and in the midst of a climate crisis, they support it."

The protest passed off peacefully, with riot police present.

A coalition of ecologists, scientists, and local residents has called for a rally on June 28 in Barcelona to protest the planned expansion of Barcelona Airport.