Eviction of La Sagrera’s large settlement shakes Sant Andreu over serious risk detected

Police have begun clearing a large informal settlement in La Sagrera. The operation affects hundreds of people and responds to a report of serious risk. Residents denounce the lack of alternatives and the social impact. The intervention marks a before and after in the area.

Clearance begun 25 Mar 06:00: Guàrdia Urbana/Mossos/CUESB/cleaning clear 2 shanty settlement clusters on Adif land (Pont del Treball Digne, La Sagrera/Sant Andreu), 200–300 people (settled for 5 years). Reason: Bombers report of serious/imminent risk (fires/irregular connections/rats/cockroach infestations/drugs/scrap metal near railway tracks). Residents protest lack of notice/alternatives (gentrification). 65 settlements in Barcelona. PP Sirera demands total eradication (urban planning commission).

The start of the clearance of a large informal settlement in La Sagrera disrupted the routine of Sant Andreu this Tuesday. From early in the morning, the presence of the Guàrdia Urbana and Mossos d’Esquadra around Pont del Treball Digne generated concern among residents and passers-by. The operation, which affects two clusters of shanties on Adif land, responds to an alert from Bombers de Barcelona about a serious and imminent risk for those living there.

The intervention began shortly before eight in the morning, with CUESB teams and municipal cleaning services deployed to the site. The City Council has justified the urgency of the action on safety grounds, while residents say that between 200 and 300 people, some settled for five years, were taken by surprise without prior notice or housing alternatives.

Neighbourhood discontent has been felt in the streets. Many criticise that the measure does not contemplate real solutions for those losing their refuge and accuse the municipal government of prioritising the urban image over social inclusion. Some consider that this type of clearance contributes to processes of gentrification and displaces the most vulnerable people from the city’s everyday landscape.

The police deployment and the arrival of social services have marked a tense day in La Sagrera, where uncertainty about the future of those affected and the fate of the cleared land remains open.

Pont del Treball Digne, located in the heart of Sant Andreu, has become in recent years a focal point for those seeking refuge in the city. Adif land, often empty and without a defined use, has been the setting for informal settlements that reflect Barcelona’s complex social reality. Coexistence between residents and homeless people has generated recurring debates about the city model, the management of the housing emergency and the role of institutions in protecting the most vulnerable.

Today it was learned that the President of Catalonia backs Gràcia residents in the face of a clearance threat