Barcelona dismantles the illegal settlement in Cobi Square following VOX complaints

Barcelona City Council has dismantled the irregular settlement that occupied Cobi Square. This action comes after complaints from VOX and residents about the loss of community in the area.

Cobi Square in Barcelona no longer hosts the irregular settlement that had been established there. The City Council has carried out the dismantling of the makeshift housing after months of resident warnings and initiatives presented by the municipal group of VOX in the council.

The party had repeatedly called for a solution for a space that, according to residents, had seen a deterioration in community relations and the normal use of public space. The council opted for a direct intervention on the ground.

The president of the municipal VOX group in Barcelona, Gonzalo de Oro, has praised the removal of the settlement and directed his criticisms at the governing team led by Jaume Collboni.

“Jaume Collboni's government only responds to the firm pressure and constant complaints from VOX, demonstrating an absolute lack of initiative to protect residents unless politically cornered.”

De Oro went further and linked the situation in Cobi Square to a supposed return of shantytowns to the city.

“With Collboni, settlements and shantytowns have returned to Barcelona, taking the city back to its darkest times in terms of urban degradation and insecurity.”

For the municipal leader, the current mayor continues the course of action from the previous term, which in his view allowed the establishment of makeshift housing in squares and parks across various neighbourhoods.

VOX has stated that it will continue its oversight of municipal management and will not ease the pressure on the PSC government. The party announces that it will maintain its presence on the streets alongside residents who, it claims, have suffered the consequences of municipal inaction.

The removal of the settlement from Cobi Square marks, for now, the end of an occupation that had caused discontent among local residents. The City Council of Barcelona has not detailed whether surveillance will be maintained in the area to prevent a recurrence of the situation.