Balaguer, in the Lleida area of Catalonia, is facing housing pressure, economic weakness and signs of social segregation, and its socialist mayor says those problems are being used to feed far-right politics. Lorena González Dios told ARA that she is pushing back against that narrative, including among some members of her own PSC.
She said some party members accept claims that insecurity is out of control, something she described as draining. González Dios also said the city has added four police officers to the existing 16, but that the sense of insecurity is often stronger than the reality. Balaguer has about 17,700 residents, and 25.2% of the population is foreign-born, six points above the Catalan average.
In the 2024 Catalan election, Aliança Catalana won more than 10% of the vote in Balaguer, while Vox took 6.6%. González Dios criticised the wider political debate, saying parties give these groups more attention by talking about them. She also said the city did not receive the neighbourhood plan it had requested, although the council plans to appeal.
The historic centre is one of the main pressure points. It has a significant Roma population and, more recently, residents from Morocco, and it includes run-down or illegally occupied buildings. The council says Balaguer has more than 600 empty flats and 110 illegally occupied properties. It has transferred 13 homes to the Housing Agency, has seven homes ceded by private owners, and owns 61, while demand is around 100.
Local business owners say the centre needs cleaner streets, better lighting and more investment. Cristina Bonet, who runs Merceria Bonet, said the town feels quiet and denied that insecurity is widespread. Josep Maria Rovira, from Joima jewellery, linked the mood to the closure of the Inpacsa paper mill, the slowdown in glassmaking and the 2008 construction crisis. Unemployment in Balaguer stands at 11.7%, nearly two points above the Catalan average.
Other traders gave a mixed picture of daily life. Xavier Baldomà, from Carnisseria Teresina, said commerce has shifted towards Lleida and that some areas had been affected by drugs and violence, although he said neighbour pressure helped bring a stronger police presence. He also said some residents integrate and some do not. His wife, Andreia Gurau, who is Romanian, pointed to poor lighting as a source of insecurity.
Immigrant shopkeepers also described a town where life is possible but business is under strain. Ali, who runs two small supermarkets and arrived in Spain twenty years ago, said his children speak Catalan fluently and that he has not suffered hatred for being Muslim. Municipal sources said street violence has not increased, although there has been a slight rise in petty theft, crimes against property and complaints related to sexual freedom. Marc Solanes, the Junts leader in Balaguer, criticised the state of the centre and low investment execution, and said the response should focus on rights and duties rather than hate.
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