Barcelona records five stabbings in critical weekend for security

Five people sustained knife injuries in Barcelona during the long weekend of the National Day of Catalonia (Diada) on 11 September.

The two latest victims are minors in the Carmel area, in addition to another victim that sustained injuries in a large fight in Sant Martí on Saturday night.

A third man has sustained injuries in a fight following a traffic incident and the fifth victim is a man with a neck wound in the Vilapicina neighborhood.

This surge in knife incidents comes as the debate continues in Catalonia following the death of a man stabbed by a group of minors in Manresa (Barcelona). The perpetrators were local youth known to police for their troubled behaviour.

The crime has shaken Manresa and called into question the handling of juvenile justice.

The incidents also come two weeks before the Mercè festivities, when police forces in the Catalan capital are tense due to the massive concentration of people, especially in areas such as Avenida Maria Cristina, which has previously been the centre of incidents involving knives and mass fights.

The Mossos d'Esquadra are investigating the circumstances surrounding the incidents in the Carmel area on Sunday night. They happened a short distance from each other.

The police still don't know whether the two boys were victims of the same fight.

The incident on Saturday happened after a traffic dispute on Via Favencia, when one man stabbed another with a knife. The victim sustained head injuries and required hospitalisation.

The alleged assailant managed to flee in his white Cupra car, despite the efforts of the victim and other witnesses to prevent his escape.

On Saturday night, a second victim was found in the Poblenou area. Just two hours after the opening speech of Festa Major (local festival), another man was stabbed during an argument between neighbours on Calle Llacuna. The cause of the altercation is unknown and the man's life is not in danger.

Following this attack, the Mossos d'Esquadra arrested two men.

Shortly afterwards, in the Nou Barris district, another man was stabbed. Police received the call at 10.45pm. The Mossos d'Esquadra have opened an investigation to clarify the facts.

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