Concentration in Barcelona against the closure of cannabis associations

The cannabis party LUZ VERDE called for a silent rally on Thursday, July 24, in Barcelona's Plaza Sant Jaume in front of City Hall.

Portrait of attendees at the rally in front of Barcelona City Hall

On June 11, Barcelona City Council sealed off and also bricked up a cannabis users' association in the Raval neighborhood in the city center. The media presented this incident as "the first association closed" by the City Council in more than a year since the new executive branch declared a "crusade" against such organizations. Without warning, and in a very rude manner according to those present, officers entered the association's headquarters and evicted all members. They then immediately sealed off the premises and then boarded it up with bricks and cement by workers.

In response to these events, the cannabis party LUZ VERDE called for a silent demonstration in front of City Hall in Barcelona's Plaça Sant Jaume to express the discontent of associations and users over this closure and the notifications that another thirty organizations have received ordering them to "temporarily close" for more than a year. The call also referred to the persecution that grow shops, CBD stores, and hemp product stores are also suffering. In June, around 17 grow shops in the city were raided, seizing 21 kilos of CBD flowers, as well as approximately 2,249 CBD-derived products and more than 19,000 seeds.

This "crusade" is led by Albert Batlle, a 71-year-old politician who is currently the Third Deputy Mayor in charge of Prevention, Security, Coexistence, and Government at Barcelona City Council.

Over the past few weeks, the city's cannabis clubs have begun holding meetings with the aim of uniting the hundreds of organizations currently operating in the city and seeking ideas to jointly respond to the actions being taken against them. More than 40 clubs have already joined this group (currently called "Defiende Tu Club" Defend Your Club), which hopes to bring all the organizations together and plan actions in the coming months. This group decided to support the Green Light initiative, and representatives of the clubs that comprise it attended the rally in Sant Jaume.

Representatives from the organization "Conciencia Criminal" also attended the event. They offer training and information on drug risk prevention. They conducted interviews with participants and attendees, as well as other audiovisual materials to share on social media, their accounts, and podcasts.

Around 120 people attended the rally, mostly representatives of cannabis clubs, who displayed their complaints and opinions about the City Council through signs. An official statement from the Green Light cannabis party was read, and several representatives from the organizations also spoke. The rally was peaceful and there were no problems.

The "Defiende Tu Club" group will continue to meet weekly to further develop the platform and plan future events and rallies.