Barcelona’s mayor urged to resign over law and order

ADA COLAU, the mayor of Barcelona, is facing calls to resign over claims that Spain’s most-visited city is poorly policed after criticism over an assault on an American visitor prompted her tourism chief to see red.

Opposition parties have called a meeting today to “condemn Ms Colau’s government in the face of its incompetence and inability to offer a response to the problems that are damaging Barcelona”, the main opposition PDECAT party tweeted.

The crisis started last week when a tourist from the US was assaulted by street vendors, sparking criticism from opposition politicians who denounce the rise in feelings of insecurity in the city. Ms Colau, who is usually very active on social networks, did not respond. But Albert Arias, who is in charge of the city’s tourism, did.

“Right, so a guy fights with another guy and suddenly the city is Gomorrah, the country is sinking, the newspapers heat up and in the end, hey presto, it’s Colau’s fault as she doesn’t do a thing,” he tweeted on Sunday. “Quite frankly you can go f--- yourselves.”

He later apologised and took his account off Twitter.

The US tourist who was assaulted was treated in hospital for head injuries.

Opposition parties have also condemned poor security in districts such as El Raval in the city centre, home to so-called “narco-flats” where drug sales are said to be rife. Last weekend, men with knives and sticks were caught on camera fighting each other there.

“She has failed as a mayor and as the one in charge of security. She must resign and allow for a change,” said Santiago Alonso, spokesman for the centre-right party Ciudadanos.

Any condemnation of Ms Colau will merely be symbolic as none of the parties has raised the possibility of a vote of no-confidence to oust her just nine months ahead of municipal and regional elections in Spain.