A Spanish unity association known as Unión de Brigadas has been actively removing pro-independence symbols, including Estelada flags and murals, from public spaces across Catalonia. The group, which operates primarily at night, has targeted dozens of towns in recent weeks, according to its social media posts.
Unión de Brigadas comprises seven smaller groups, with four currently active, mostly in the Barcelona metropolitan area. The association focuses on direct action, removing symbols it refers to as "scarecrows" almost daily, officials said.
The group's method involves a network of collaborators who alert them via phone chats about the locations of Estelada flags. Members then travel to these locations in the early hours, wearing balaclavas to avoid identification. They use long poles to remove hoisted flags or spray paint to cover murals. The association's spokesperson, David Cosculluela, said they act "several times a week" and have over 30 collaborators.
Origins and Operations
Unión de Brigadas started its activities in August 2018, less than a year after the 1 October independence referendum. Cosculluela said this was "after the aggression against a woman who was tearing off yellow ribbons in Ciutadella Park" in Barcelona. The group provides "legal and logistical support" to its brigades to "maintain the neutrality of public spaces."
When asked about operating anonymously and at night, Cosculluela cited "death threats, people being called at work, and CDRs coming to homes." He added that night operations help "avoid disturbances or provocations" and are "faster than administrative action." The group rents vehicles to protect members' identities and is funded by anonymous donations.
Cosculluela, who was number three on Vox's list for the Barcelona elections in 2023, stated that the association is pluralistic within the Spanish unity movement and has close ties with Impulso Ciudadano and S'ha Acabat. He noted that while they have faced around 40 complaints, they have only been convicted for damages in a few cases, such as in Ripoll.
Local Responses to Removals
Cornellà del Terri is one of the latest municipalities to have an Estelada removed. In response to the frequent actions, some towns, including Cornellà del Terri, have started installing metal Estelada flags to make their removal more difficult. "Cloth ones are very easy to remove," said Mayor Salvador Coll.
In Tàrrega, metal flags have been installed 12 metres high, but the brigades have developed a system of poles with paint to disfigure them. Mayor Coll, who also presides over the Association of Municipalities for Independence (AMI), criticised the impunity with which these groups operate.
He explained that complaints filed with the Mossos d'Esquadra are often shelved because the police say the actions do not attack constitutional symbols. However, damaging urban furniture, such as flagpoles or municipal signs, is considered a reportable offence. Mossos sources confirmed that while removing Esteladas alone is not considered "violent extremism or a hate crime," they can identify individuals and open proceedings if there are assaults or coercion, as happened in Verges.
Meritxell Budó, Mayor of La Garriga and president of the Catalan Association of Municipalities (ACM), said that previous complaints did not progress. Her town consistently replaces stolen Esteladas. Budó described the perpetrators as "cowards who act at night and covered up, who do not dare to act during the day." She added, "They will keep taking it down at night, and we will put it up during the day," referring to the Estelada at the town's roundabout. Cosculluela, however, claimed that "people from the towns" also participate anonymously.
In Calella, the Estelada in Plaça de Catalunya has been vandalised repeatedly. Mayor Marc Buch said, "They do it so often that it's nothing special. We will replace it every time; they won't exhaust our patience or our money." He noted that they do not file complaints due to the lack of judicial progress.
Ongoing Efforts and Challenges
Despite the removals, most of the actions by Unión de Brigadas prove temporary. The pro-independence mural at the UAB has been repainted, and all consulted town councils confirm they replace any removed Esteladas within days. "Of course, we will put it back up, that's what we do every time they take them down," said Amadeu Rossell, Mayor of Llanars, who was unaware his town's flag had recently been removed.
Pol Barnils, Mayor of Seva, also reported many attacks. In Seva, there is a symbiotic strategy with Impulso Ciudadano, which secured a judicial order in 2023 for the removal of an Estelada from the town hall's façade. However, an Estelada on the side façade could not be removed. Another flag at the entrance to the municipality is "stolen two or three times a year" and is consistently replaced.
Brigades also post old videos as if they were current to suggest continuous activity. Mayors Jaume Casals of Artés and Navàs confirmed this, with Casals noting that a video showed a blue Estelada being removed when a red one had been in place since the Diada.
