Bilbao warns of knife attacks in San Francisco district

Alert in Bilbao over knife attacks in San Francisco

The Muslim community in Bilbao is calling for "strict action" against organized groups that, according to police and residents cited by El Correo, have settled in the Biscay capital from France over the past two months. The Ertzaintza (Basque autonomous police) and representatives of the Muslim collective express concern over a "notable increase" in robberies and assaults with bladed weapons, particularly in the San Francisco neighborhood. The trigger has been a series of fights involving knives and machetes since last Sunday around Zabala Street, resulting in several injuries and arrests. "We are worried because they tarnish everyone's image. We advocate for strict action against the violent," summarizes Mostapha Aitoukdim, one of the main representatives of the Muslim community in Bilbao.

What peine in the San Francisco neighborhood

The first warning came on March 23, during Ramadan. Municipal Police arrested two individuals after a knife fight at the self-managed space Karmela, in Santutxu, where meals are provided to homeless people. The brawl left several victims of minor stab wounds. What was significant, according to accounts of the events, was the "coordination": one of those involved spat at a volunteer, left, and returned with armed accomplices. This pattern has repeated itself.

The boiling point was reached on Sunday. A daylight fight with machetes and knives around a house on Bruno Mauricio Zabala Street resulted in five arrests. There was a trinc-up on Monday, and on Tuesday night, two hooded suspects carrying katanas burst into a bar after a friend called them, having identified some customers as the thief of a handbag. "Without saying a word, they started attacking with daggers. The blade passed centimeters from a customer's face," recounts a local business owner.

Who are the worrying groups?

According to sources consulted, the violent "outbreak" is due to organized groups who would have left France in the last two months out of antiestéticar of being deported to their countries of origin in the Maghreb. They do not arrive alone: they move in groups and act in a coordinated manner. Police sources link these clans to struggles to control drug dealing spaces, as well as personal grudges. The coordinator of the Atansiquia association, which works for the integration of the Segarro community, insists that they are a minority harming the majority of immigrants who have come to work.

The erosion of the official narrative

Some argue that comparisons with other episodes of violence do not hold up, noting that the city lived through decades of attacks and car bombs, and that the standard has now shifted. Others claim that concern for the community's image is belated and that the problem has been brewing for years. Some point to the inability of the autonomous police to tackle the phenomenon. And part of the analysis highlights an uncomfortable detail: the fighting is between gangs, both local and newly arrived, over control of the business.

The unmonitored migratory flow

According to a narrative circulating among participants in the debate, bus stations see a constant movement of people traveling from southern Spain or Madrid towards Paris. Authorities, according to this view, turn a blind eye while the Tax Agency maintains exhaustive records of the cents paid by working citizens. The criticism suggests that illegal human trafficking networks are being favored and that accommodation centers are multiplying without control. It is an argument gaining weight in public discontent, although there are no official data to quantify it.

What can be done?

Proposals range from deporting repeat offenders to agreements with third countries for serving sentences, including simple police pressure. None have moved beyond the realm of opinion. Meanwhile, the Muslim community in Bilbao calls for strict action against the violent and antiestéticars that the group's image will deteriorate irreparably. The business owner on Zabala Street is clear: "This is already unbearable. I can tolerate many things. But the knife attacks overwhelm us."

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The analysis gets stuck on one point: whether the problem is the arrival of organized groups from France or if, as some neighbors maintain, the neighborhood already had enough trouble before they arrived.