Barcelona: Ecuadorian National Slaps One-Year-Old Girl Amid Rising Anti-Tourism Sentiment

[Social Media]

 

In a shocking and disturbing incident in Barcelona, a one-year-old girl was slapped by a man in a fit of rage while screaming at her tourist family. The horrifying scene, captured on video, shows the man initially pretending to strike the toddler, only to follow through with a slap across her left cheek. The incident took place on Montjuïc hill, a popular spot for tourists visiting the city’s attractions, including the renowned Basilica de la Sagrada Familia.

 

Watch: "Outrage in Spain after migrant slaps baby in a park in Barcelona. The baby’s parents quickly left the scene, hoping the attacker wouldn’t follow the family."

BREAKING:

Outrage in Spain after migrant slaps baby in a park in Barcelona.

The baby’s parents quickly left the scene, hoping the attacker wouldn’t follow the family.

Crime rates have sky-rocketed in Barcelona in recent years 🇪🇸 pic.twitter.com/U3Q0qtvpmQ

— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) October 7, 2024

 

The footage reveals the terrified family as they try to calm the situation. The father quickly scooped his crying daughter into his arms, and both parents swiftly walked away from the enraged man. Fortunately, the little girl suffered only minor injuries and did not require hospitalization, according to local police.

 

 

The attacker, a 31-year-old Ecuadorian national, allegedly assaulted two other people over the same weekend before being apprehended by police. One of his other victims, a 60-year-old man, sustained cuts to his face and was left with bruises all over his body. The man was identified through the video footage and eyewitness accounts, and he is scheduled to appear in court on Tuesday.

 

 

This unsettling incident comes amid mounting tensions surrounding tourism in Barcelona and across Spain. Anti-tourism protests have become increasingly common in the city, where locals are expressing frustration with what they view as "overtourism." In early July, thousands of protestors marched through central Barcelona, carrying placards and using water guns to spray tourists as a form of protest. 

 

 

Under slogans like “Enough! Let’s put limits on tourism,” an estimated 2,800 people took to the streets, demanding a new economic model that would curb the massive influx of tourists. Demonstrators chanted “Tourists out of our neighborhood” while blocking entrances to hotels and targeting tourists dining at restaurants in popular areas. Signs with messages like “Barcelona is not for sale” and “Tourists go home” reflected the growing discontent among the city’s residents.

 

One of the main drivers of these protests is the city’s escalating housing costs. Barcelona’s rent prices have surged by 68 percent over the past decade, with a notable 18 percent increase just last June. Many locals blame this trend on the high number of short-term rentals and tourist-driven changes to the economy. 

 

In response, Barcelona’s mayor, Jaume Collboni, introduced a plan in June to phase out all short-term rental accommodations by 2028. This drastic measure aims to address the soaring housing costs and make the city more livable for its 1.6 million residents. Anti-tourism graffiti and public sentiments against visitors have been visible for years, but this latest surge in activism reflects the urgency of the issue as residents call for a balance between tourism and local needs.

 

While the assault on the toddler was an isolated act of violence, it has drawn attention to the broader tensions simmering beneath the surface in tourist-heavy areas of Spain. The court proceedings against the attacker are set to unfold against the backdrop of ongoing debates over the role of tourism in the country’s major cities.

 

Based on a report from Daily Mail 2024-10-09

 

 

 

[nobodysfriend]

Immigrants who behave in a way that insults or endangers people of their host country , should be detained and deported as soon as possible .

To overcome cultural differences , a will and wish to integrate into the society of the country that granted them asylum is necessary , even if cultural values differ . 

If that will is missing , the asylum seeker will become a troublemaker and burden for the host country .

Immediate deportation just as Thailand does it with overstayers is the only choice .

And blacklist them to prevent them returning .

Good guys in , bad guys out ...

[JonnyF]

More cultural enrichment. But I'm sure this guy is a brilliant doctor waiting to save Spanish healthcare from itself and this was just a cultural difference. 

 

The father should have beaten him within an inch of his life, but in fairness to him if he had then he'd probably have got 15 years for a hate crime while the kid slapper got a free phone and a 2 bedroom house. He would have in the UK anyway. 

 

 

[CanadaSam]

Confused.  He is Ecuadorian, in Spain, but everybody seems to be talking French in the video, or am I hearing incorrectly?

 

Hope they put him in a hell-hole for a long time, takes a real man to hit a one year old!

 

 

Edited October 9 by CanadaSam
Spelling.

[zyphodb]

43 minutes ago, CanadaSam said:

Confused.  He is Ecuadorian, in Spain, but everybody seems to be talking French in the video, or am I hearing incorrectly?

 

Hope they put him in a hell-hole for a long time, takes a real man to hit a one year old!

 

 

 

They're speaking Catalan, The local French/Spanish mix that they speak in Catalonia...

[Thingamabob]

6 hours ago, zyphodb said:

 

They're speaking Catalan, The local French/Spanish mix that they speak in Catalonia...

Surprising an Ecuadorian can speak Catalan.

[thaibeachlovers]

22 hours ago, Social Media said:

In response, Barcelona’s mayor, Jaume Collboni, introduced a plan in June to phase out all short-term rental accommodations by 2028.

Seriously?

 

How to pretend that one is doing something while doing nothing.