He Carmelthe neighborhood of impossible slopes, the uphill periphery and the mountain of 300 houses at risk of demolition by a (still) Francoist plan, is now also the epicenter of the Barcelona who is indigestible tourism. “What is it that bothers me about tourists? Well, they come down making a scandal, they dirty everything, they urinate at the door of the house, they face each other if you say something…”, line up Juanele, a neighbor of the Turó de la Rovira, taken from the afternoon until early morning by a crowd of young people, crowded at the top where the anti-aircraft batteries that defended the city from fascist aviation were stationed. A hundred or so residents have climbed the hill this Friday, as in recent weeks, to clamor to rescue the batteries, a magnet for a crowd of traveling boys, attracted by views that invite “damn Instagram tourism & rdquor ;, as another protester blurts out to the top of his head, and that they usually shower with alcoholespecially from Thursday to Sunday.
“Those days it gets worse, but it’s like that every day,” Matilde corrects. And the dirt it is awful. Condoms, pads… You see everything on the slopes and on the street. A few days ago, the brigade came down with 40 industrial bags. Tourists go with a lot of bottles, cans, pizza boxes… A neighbor was stung at two in the morning to ask for a corkscrew. Some peed on the door of another who lives above, he came out to warn them and they punched him. He ended up in the hospital”.
“The regulations are only complied with from batteries downwards. Above is city without law& rdquor ;, distinguishes Armand Navarro. He, above all, is bothered by the collapse of the streets, clogged by vehicles that ascend through crowded and steep roads, such as Conca de Tremp, where it’s not at all uncommon to see the prototypical black vans of on-demand hire platforms. “I have come to count 70 or 80 taxi and VTC standing in line& rdquor;, says Armand, who sees that the neighborhood “has no infrastructure for this overcrowding& rdquor;: “There were a few years when they dedicated themselves to promoting bunkers and now it has exploded in our faces. Now there are large police units, but they don’t fine them and so they continue to drink.”
prohibit access
The congregants have climbed to the summit surrounding part of the neighborhood, crossing it through the road. Before getting started, the convening neighborhood associations have shelled their claims. Among others, they demand that access to vehicles that are not owned by residents or public services be prohibited on the roads that surround Turó de la Rovira. They also advocate paralyzing the construction of a fence that closes the way to the batteries, which they believe would “extend the problem to other areas of the neighborhood& rdquor ;. In turn, they urge the “eviction of the anti-aircraft batteries every night & rdquor ;, so that “the impunity enjoyed by tourists ends & rdquor ;, they conclude.
Although it still does not press the heat, several affected agree that they had never seen so much racking as in recent weeks. Only last Friday, the Urban Police counted 1,300 people who overflowed the top.
“When they are evicted, they go to the bridge on Mühlberg street and continue messing around,” says Encarna, who lives right there. “They stand in front of my house with the speaker. It can happen any morning. A few days ago, I brought it to their attention and they apologized. They went a little further down to bother other neighbors & rdquor ;, she laments.
Paki Torres confesses that she feels besieged. “I live up the mountain, which was like living in a town, but they are expelling us. We can no longer go out to get some fresh air, nor do the neighbors set up dinners in the street like before… They are trying to bore us and tire us out so that we leave & rdquor ;, she perceives. “What bothers us the most is the feeling of invasion. As in any tourist neighbourhood, daily life is deformed & rdquor ;, shares Fran Bernal, vice president of the Turó de la Rovira Neighborhood Association.
packed buses
A frequent discomfort for the inhabitants of Carmel is that tourists deprive them of the buses. “They are so full that they don’t even open the door, it happens to me very often,” explains Mari Carmen. “It can take so long until someone stops that I don’t even wait anymore. I end up going up on foot, although with the slopes we have it is annoying & rdquor ;, she admits. “When the buses fill up with tourists and we have to leave someone, it hurts us as much as it hurts you,” apologizes Ramiro, driver of TMBreceived with applause by the concentrates.
“For six or seven years, going home by bus has been impossible,” testified a young woman. “Besides, coming back from evening and come across 10 guys drunk it gives a little thing -continues-. It has happened to me that they get into the garden and urinate. A few days ago, some tourists koreans They asked me to go inside to go to the bathroom. I hesitated before letting them pass. I thought that, if not, they would do it in front of the house.”
Protesters share the intimidating scenes they have suffered in recent weeks. “Yesterday there were some singing, but the worst was 15 days ago,” says Mari José Cañete. Some came down and crashed a bottle of whiskey on the wall at home, right where I sleep. I jumped up with a start. On top of that, then I had to clean and remove the crystals& rdquor;.
Related news
The Turó de la Rovira is a museum space because of the history that precedes it, closely linked to the Civil war. “But they let them pass with bottles and cans… I couldn’t enter a museum with vodka& rdquor;, observes Antonio Gómez, angry that he was kept awake by the “howling at four in the morning& rdquor;.
During the concentration, banners were seen blaming the mayor Ada Colauthe former mayor and Junts candidate, Xavier Trias, and the socialist mayor, Jaume Collboni. “El Carmel will be the tomb of this tourism,” read another sign. “They have stolen our neighborhood and they are stealing it with impunity,” reproaches David, who synthesizes the discomfort that the neighborhood does not keep quiet: “Now it is worse than ever, because people have become crazy about traveling after the pandemic… But we’ve had enough & rdquor ;.