Cristall Beach, in Badalona. Alejandro Garcia
Badalona Mayor Xavier García Albiol (PP) announced this Friday that beach campers are not welcome in the city. “I’ve just signed a bando aimed at those who mistake Badalona beach for a campsite where they can pump up the music, set up tables and chairs and camp as if they were on their farm. All this is forbidden with a penalty of €600. We’re starting this weekend,” he said on Twitter. The measure, with populist overtones and once again aimed at rudeness, is one of the first Albiol has taken since returning to the post of mayor with an absolute majority following local elections on May 28.
The bando is a bit more specific. Point two states that the use of “musical or similar devices or other instruments that emit noise and cause discomfort to other users on the beach” is prohibited year-round. Regarding camping, referred to in the following point, it states that “the erection of tents, tents, umbrellas or parasols with non-transparent sides, camping tables and organized camping on the beach all year round” is not permitted. And he clarifies that “settling down to sleep on the beach” equates to camping.
I just signed an edict addressed to those who confuse the beach of #Badalona with a campground where they can crank up the music, set up tables and chairs, and camp as if they were on their farm. All this is forbidden with a penalty of €600. We start this weekend. pic.twitter.com/Su6iRgJmid
— Xavier García Albiol (@Albiol_XG) June 30, 2023
The official statement recalls the behaviors regulated in the Badalona Beach Ordinance. This also includes other types of penalized behavior, such as fishing during the day or fishing underwater with harpoons throughout the bathing season (from June 3rd to September 17th). Likewise, “any type of activity that could cause material damage or endanger the integrity of people” is prohibited. Street sales, unless authorized, and advertising, whether “graphic, sound or audiovisual”, are also prohibited on the beach. Likewise, “personal hygiene products” may not be used to shower, start a fire, or apply graffiti to city materials. According to the site, the sanctions range from 600 to 1,500 euros.
Most Twitter users greeted Albiol’s announcement with applause. And they even encouraged other mayors, like that of Barcelona, the socialist Jaume Collboni, or that of L’Hospitalet, Nuria Marín, to regulate public space in the same way. Critical voices about the initiativeThey’re the least, and they accuse the mayor of “privatizing a very important beach” where you can eat “at a beach bar,” but if you do it on your own, he faces a 600-euro fine.
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