Barcelona City Council has suspended an urban guard for 24 days of employment and pay. The sanction is based on disrespectful behaviour towards a citizen, not on linguistic discrimination.
A citizen who requested to be attended to in Catalan during a police operation in the Rambla Prim has seen the officer who attended her receive a municipal sanction. According to the Barcelona City Council, the resolution is based on the way the police officer treated the woman.
The events occurred on July 13. The Platform for the Language reported them to the council and provided a video that recorded the incident. In the recording, the officer refuses to assist the woman in Catalan and labels her as "fascist and totalitarian" for requesting that language.
The council opened a disciplinary file through the Deontological Unit and Internal Affairs (UDA), which investigated the case and forwarded its conclusions to the competent municipal services. The file ended with a sanction of 24 days of suspension of employment and pay.
According to the City Council, the offence is classified as "serious negligence in the performance of duties." The officer's conduct is considered disrespectful because, during the operation, there were attitudes and expressions incompatible with the standards of respect and professionalism required of a member of the force.
Municipal sources clarify that the sanction is not due to linguistic discrimination. The resolution is not final and can be appealed.
The Urban Guard reiterates that respect for citizens, professionalism, and correctness in treatment are "essential principles" of any police operation.
The Platform for the Language has regarded the sanction as a sign of linguistic discrimination. It reminds that municipal workers must primarily address citizens in Catalan and cannot refuse to assist them in the language they request. The association believes that when a citizen requests to be attended to in Catalan, the administration must guarantee it.
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