Talk to Al Jazeera - Barcelona's Mayor: The city is losing its identity

Barcelona's Mayor: The city is losing its identity - Talk to Al Jazeera
A heavy footfall of 32 million tourists visited Barcelona last year. The city of 1.6 million is known around the world for its modernist architecture, world heritage sites, and its football team, referred to as "Barca" - but not everyone is happy about the high number of visitors.
Barcelona's appeal to foreigners and their money has led to rising property prices, making affordable housing incredibly difficult to find for the locals.
At the peak of the Spanish financial crisis, thousands were evicted from their homes for falling behind on their mortgage. Some protesters formed human chains around properties to prevent the city authorities from evicting homeowners. Ada Colau often led those protests.
Supported by her anti-eviction group, Colau decided to run for mayor of Barcelona, and against all predictions, she became the city's first female mayor in 2015. The activist-turned-politician promised to control the tourism industry by limiting the number of visitors, banning licences to build new hotels, and increasing taxes on vacation rentals.
But with tourism accounting for 14 percent of Barcelona's economy, can Colau reclaim the city for its residents? The mayor of Barcelona, Ada Colau, talks to Al Jazeera.
Asked about her history of activism, especially for victims of abusive mortgages, Colau says this is where Spain was hit the hardest and where it continues to suffer.
"The economic crisis in Spain is closely linked to real estate and the mortgage market. It's undoubtedly been one of the worst housing crises in Europe ... At the same time, instead of rescuing people, the state rescued [the] banks, which had cheated people with abusive mortgages and interest rates ... So there was a huge scam and the state didn't help the people, but rather the banks that had cheated and evicted people," says Colau.
On her controversial views on tourism, one of the most challenging parts of the Colau mayoral mandate, Colau claims this is in fear of another "economic disaster".
"When we came into office, we found an economic activity out of control ... For instance, tourist accommodation increased by over 18 percent in just five years. It was uncontrolled, extremely fast growth at the rate of a bubble, which is dangerous not only for the city but also for the economic activity itself."
A tourist tax is one of Colau's suggested solutions, "The city needs some kind of taxation system to offset all the services that the city's residents would have to pay for otherwise. The very point of a tax is to redistribute the wealth generated by tourism, or it would be the same old story: tourism generates a lot of profit, but it is very badly distributed."
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[@temax]

Spain is a beautiful country. Catalonia is a beautiful region of Spain. Glad to see the mayor of Barcelona feeling both as Catalan and Spanish. Diversity is the way to go. #fucknationalism

[@briggs9187]

Ella quiere que las companias no puedan apagar los servicios como electricidad, Gas y agua aunque no puedan pagarlas??... pues suena como que las companias van a empezar a hacer un chequeo finaciero, si no pueden proveer informacion que puedan pagar, pues no van a tener estos servicios... si no, quien lo va a pagar? nada es gratiz

[@jorgecanada4007]

The new fascism si now ni Catalonia....this politicians, as Colau, blame the rest of Spain for al the problems

[@Fionan95]

Spain will suffer as long as it is under the control of the EU

[@juanmorales5133]

estamos de acuerdo contigo.

[@feelingoffbalance]

This is the kind of person that should be mayor. good luck!

[@SilvanaDil]

No excuses. It is up to YOU THE BORROWER to read the small print.

[@Lieu3C4]

THE LENDER also has a duty of care to its customers. If they know, in extending a loan, that what they are attempting to do is tempt someone into borrowing when they cannot expect to repay, thinking to then foreclose on a mortgage, so that the bank gets a housing property at discount, the bank is remiss to have failed to explain clearly what they well know to be the case. There should be no SMALL PRINT, nor should convoluted expression obfuscate what would be otherwise obvious. Where either of these things are the case, it is prima face evidence of ill intent, and the bank service in question would then be open to being sued for DECEPTION.

[@uptoeleven]

You've never read Spanish banking small print...

[@scandinavist]

Què Junqueras protagonitzi la pròxima entrevista

[@scandinavist]

Barça va amb c trencada (descripció)

[@scandinavist]

Es una interessant reflexió, la que planteja la jazeera; "com que la Colau no és independentista/nacionalista no vol la independència?"

[@joan6839]

visca Catalunya lliure!

[@joan6839]

no passareu

[@joan6839]

els feixistes

[@juanmorales5133]

viva cataluna y Espana. Viva el imperio.

[@christopherstmarin]

Good girl. Doesn't seem corrupted by huge corporate scumbags. Common sense common ppl. Wish her all the best in her life. She's a mother of the ppl I wish Canada was blessed with such a person

[@teletech2554]

🏁📌📚❤️❤️❤️

[@DjinnV]

WOW!! I am a bilingual latina in the US & I cannot understand all of what she is saying ... deveras es differente, hahaha!!

[@azelo7952]

gw59102 I think she's speaking Catalan and not Spanish

[@talktomethere]

@@azelo7952 she speaks catalan.

[@juanmorales5133]

ella habla en un dialecto llamado CATALAN

[@MarI-Posa]

Parla català

[@xjay1234]

Juventus 3~0 Barca

[@xjay1234]

I am a Manchester United man - and I don't put it past Barcelona to win 5-0 in the 2nd leg but I think Juventus will not be as lacks as PSG were (though that comeback by Barca against PSG was phenomenal regardless).

[@P3trarch]

And now?

[@juanluishuertavivar1113]

hablando catalán ella. No español.

[@smartkitville7167]

Blah..blah..blah..postureo..blah..blah..blah...

[@Mister.Psychology]

She just keeps talking about how poor their people are.

[@upahtv]

It means she really knows and she really loves her peoples . When a leader knows how poor her peoples are , with all the willing she has , there will be a hope to get better .

[@upahtv]

Because its true that the bankers destroy almost all cities in this world .

[@Mister.Psychology]

Bankers? WTF?

[@SocietyOfTheSpectacl]

and she refuses to see how the EU is actually the european arm of Goldman Sachs Bank, Who made Greece Bankrupt with a Phony Loan ? EU // Goldman Sachs . ( I think she is a gatekeeper)

[@SocietyOfTheSpectacl]

yeah and the eu will save us from nasty racists .

[@Beatriz-lj2td]

she is a globalist! and they are in the way out....

[@SocietyOfTheSpectacl]

spot on. No mention of the banks being in control of Europe. Hmmmm, maybe she has taken too many vaccines ?

[@rodrigodiazdevivar1734]

I have noticed that as well.

[@josephsmith1893]

They mayor and they lady interviewing the mayor must have big balls. Why else are they manspreading 1:53 ?

[@syedawesome6238]

these are nice tourist, take the interview of iraqi people not only lost houses but also lives and oil, coz of muuuricaaa!

[@collinhennessy1521]

Barfaloni

[@AlAndalusiIbnRagnar]

Spain should be United as 1

[@joan6839]

never. Catalan Countries need to reunificate

[@AlAndalusiIbnRagnar]

Why can't Spain be 1, But have their own separate culture. Which it already does, what is the benefit of more division ? It could be the economy right ? I know ever since they joined the EU it went bad years after

[@joan6839]

catalan people and it's language is always insulted. We have to recover our freedom for dignity

[@joan6839]

haha 90%? i el resultat de les eleccions ens el passem pel forro? you liar!

[@AlAndalusiIbnRagnar]

Viva España

[@themurderbotfeed7688]

Wow, nunca pensé que vería a ada colau en aljazeera. Me alegro.

[@joseantonioruizvivo2120]

Pues es una vergüenza que siendo alcaldesa de la segunda ciudad de España (por mucho que os pese a muchos, incluido a ella) no hable inglés.

[@themurderbotfeed7688]

Jose Antonio RuizVivo a mi no pesa en absoluto que Barcelona sea la segundo o incluso primera ciudad de España. En cuanto a lo del ingles you creo que es mas una declaración que porque no sepa, porque también podría haber hablado español que lo habla mucha mas gente que el catalán. Aunque no se si habla ingles o no. Debería.

[@duket.8598]

Hola... Bueno pues, aunque no soy nativo de Espanol ni Catalan... entiendo el idioma y puedo enfocar un poco mas ya que hay subtitulos. Pero... yo diria, por qué no Catalan... me refiero... ella es la alcaldesa de la region que habla ese idioma, y tambien en contexto de la entrevista yo diria que es mejor que ella habla el idioma de la ciudad porque ella tiene una responsabilidad con sus votantes no los 'telespectadores' parlantes ingles. Bueno es solo mi punto de vista, porque siempre se nota que el mundo cediendo a los hablantes del ingles. Claro yo soy, pero es precisamente mi punto, que la mayoria del tiempo es mejor para un oficial que habla el idioma oficial de SU ciudad... hay que tener en cuenta que la reportera Al Jazeera esta en Barcelona, no? y que ella es una visitante y no al revés, que no? Al final (y perdona por mis errores gramaticales) Me alegro escuchar Catalan... y me alegro cuando el liderazgo femenino tiene una mano en la mesa (diria metaforicamente , una mano = una posición)

[@themurderbotfeed7688]

Duke Taylor por supuesto, cuando decía que era una declaración me refería a una declaración de intenciones, de hablar catalán para representar a su gente, no porque no sepa hablar ingles. Y no te preocupes, tu español es muy bueno y tu gramática también.

[@joseantonioruizvivo2120]

No así como la tuya. Preocupes no lleva acento