Basque police arrest four for assaulting Spanish football fans, Barcelona crime levels fall in first half of the year, Spain’s conservatives call on government to change Grandchildren’s Citizenship Law and more news from Spain this Tuesday July 20th.
Spanish watchdog records sharp rise in hate messages
The Spanish Observatory on Racism and Xenophobia (OBERAXE) detected a total of 40,861 instances of hate speech and discriminatory posts online in June, 31.8 percent more than in May, according to its social media monitoring bulletin for June 2026.
The report also notes a “significant volume” of racist and Islamophobic content targeting Spanish national football team player Lamine Yamal.
Specifically, during the World Cup, the Observatory detected a significant presence of racist messages associated with national teams, fans, and athletes.
Crime in Barcelona falls by 11.2 percent in first half of the year
Crime in the Catalan capital was down 11.2 percent in the first six months of the year and 12 percent below levels 10 years ago, Mayor Jaume Collboni revealed at a recent press conference.
Arrests have decreased by 6.7 percent and the number of people under criminal investigation has fallen by 8 percent. “From the very beginning of our term, we said we would address the issue of security in the city because, to guarantee freedoms, it was necessary to guarantee security,” Collboni stated.
Thefts on the street represent 47.2 percent of all crimes in the city and have decreased by 21.1 percent, while violent robberies are down by 0.7 percent. Unfortunately though, break-ins increased by 14.1 percent, with most of them involving vehicles.
Basque police arrest four for assaulting Spanish football fans
Police in the Basque Country have arrested four people and identified seven others for assaulting and insulting fans supporting Spain’s national team in various locations in the northern region, including in Bilbao, San Sebastián and Vitoria-Gasteiz.
The Basque Government has condemned these actions and expressed its solidarity with the victims.
One of those arrested is under investigation for threatening people with a knife, as well as throwing objects at fans. Those identified are between 15 to 46 years old.
Police are also investigating a further 20 people accused of attempting to sabotage a broadcast of the match on a big screen.
Spain’s Civil Guard is also investigating an attack on a group of soldiers who were watching a football match last night at a bar in the Navarrese town of Berriozar. They were attacked by a group of masked individuals with bars and batons.
Spain’s PP calls on government to annul aspects of the Grandchildren’s Law
The conservative Partido Popular (PP) has filed a petition with the Secretary of State for Justice against the Grandchildren’s Law, which grants citizenship to Spanish descendants and was implemented in 2022 as part of the Historical Memory Law.
They are following a move by Vox, who called for a review of citizenships granted by the Sánchez-led Socialist (PSOE) government, suggesting that many were obtained illegally and Spanish nationality is being used as an electoral ploy to ensure future PSOE victories.
The PP argues that it “reinterprets” the law and broadens the scope beyond what was voted for in Congress.
“It is clearly null and void,” said the Deputy Secretary for Sectoral Coordination, Alma Ezcurra at a recent press conference.
They are questioning the citizenship application and overseas voting process, which they claim has increased the number of registered voters by 2.5 million.
READ MORE: How Spain has paved the way to citizenship for descendants of Franco-era exiles
