Spanish Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero has urged Barcelona's mayor to tackle the growing problem of street prostitution in the city, particularly on the famous Las Ramblas boulevard and other iconic locations. The call came after images published in El País newspaper showed sex acts taking place at the Boquería market.
Zapatero expressed his dismay, stating, 'The things we have seen this week in the streets of Barcelona and which some media have shown have upset me considerably.' He added, 'I hope that the mayor of Barcelona acts.'
Mayor Jordi Hereu, a fellow socialist, has pledged to address the issue, with police already patrolling Las Ramblas over the weekend. While prostitution has long been present in the area, it was previously confined to a small zone near the port. However, in recent years, African prostitutes have flocked to Las Ramblas, which attracts 250,000 visitors daily and is a major tourist draw.
Residents and local newspapers have complained about open-air sex acts in the area, particularly on weekend nights when Las Ramblas is crowded with tourists, including British stag parties. Hereu has called on central and regional governments to explicitly ban street prostitution, as efforts to create a regulatory law were recently shelved amid debate over legalisation versus criminalisation.
