> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://barna.news/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # 23 Catalan Language Discrimination Cases by Police in 2025 - URL: https://barna.news/23-catalan-language-discrimination/ - Published: 2026-10-19T20:07:47.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-19T20:07:47.000Z - Description: Plataforma per la Llengua documents 23 incidents of linguistic discrimination by security forces in Catalonia during 2025, amid a record rise in complaints. - Author: Barna.News - Tags: politics Security forces in Catalonia, including the Spanish National Police (CNP), Mossos d’Esquadra and local police, are under scrutiny after 23 cases of linguistic discrimination against Catalan speakers were recorded in 2025\. The incidents, documented by the NGO Plataforma per la Llengua, reveal a pattern of refusal to use Catalan, mockery, false reports and fines, often during routine procedures such as renewing a DNI or passport, traffic stops or public inquiries. The number of complaints about [language discrimination](https://barna.news/56-cases-of-catalan-language/) in public administration reached 176 in 2025, a 44.3% increase from 2024 and a new record, according to the organisation chaired by Òscar Escuder. Security forces accounted for 17% of all complaints last year, making them the second most frequent source of discrimination after public healthcare, which recorded 34.4% of cases between 2007 and 2025. ## Systemic Catalanophobia in Daily Interactions Incidents occurred across multiple locations and services. At the Plaça d’Espanya police station in Barcelona, a Spanish Police officer who had assisted a citizen in Catalan the previous day refused to do so the next day, saying, “Well, not today.” In another case on Carrer Trafalgar, officers mocked a citizen for speaking Catalan after informing them they had arrived too late for service. One complainant in Barcelona was fined €601 after refusing to switch from Catalan to Spanish when asking for directions. The report included false claims of insults and defiant behaviour. At El Prat Airport’s Terminal 2, officers told a traveller, “This is Spain, and if you don’t agree, take the plane and leave,” when they complained about long queues in Catalan. --- ## Denial of Service and Legal Rights Multiple cases involved outright denial of service. A citizen in Sant Martí was refused assistance at a Spanish Police station for insisting on Catalan. In Cornellà de Llobregat, a fine was issued exclusively in Spanish despite the recipient’s explicit request for Catalan. In Badalona, a Spanish Police officer responded with rudeness when asked about booking an NIE appointment, stating they only assisted in Spanish. Some officers used flawed legal arguments. One in Cornellà de Llobregat falsely claimed that speaking Spanish was a constitutional obligation. Another in L'Hospitalet referred to Catalan as “a dialect,” asserting, “I know the official language of Spain.” > “Let’s not start with the nonsense,” a Mossos d’Esquadra officer told a driver requesting service in Catalan during a midnight traffic stop in Sant Feliu de Llobregat. ## Broader Institutional Failure Plataforma per la Llengua attributes the pattern to entrenched Castilian linguistic supremacism within state security forces, linked to “statism and its connection with the hegemonic idea of Spain.” Despite Catalonia’s co-official status for Catalan, officers routinely ignored legal requirements to provide bilingual service. In Mataró, a citizen was told no one could assist in Catalan, although another officer was heard helping users in English. At Terrassa police station, a parent was blocked from entering with their son until they switched to Spanish. In Tarragona, a citizen received proposed sanctions for disobedience and disorder after asking to be addressed in Catalan late at night. The organisation stresses that these are not isolated incidents but part of a systemic failure to respect linguistic rights, calling for structural reforms in training and accountability within security forces. --- *Reported by elmon.cat.* --- ### Related on Barna.News - [56 Cases of Catalan Language Discrimination in 2025 Healthcare](https://barna.news/56-cases-of-catalan-language/)