"The construction of a city that only exists in dreams". 

This was the slogan which residents of Madrid’s Lavapiés neighbourhood used in 1995 to envision the future of their scenic community. Located in the heart of the Spanish capital, Lavapiés is one of the oldest parts of Madrid and defined by picturesque buildings filled with countless restaurants, bars and small businesses. It has been described, for good reason, as one of the 'most colourful, lively' neighbourhoods in Madrid. During the 18th and 19th centuries,the area was mostly known as a low-income, working-class neighbourhood. In the 1990’s, however, mass migration quickly changed the local atmosphere.

The districts centrality and picturesque location has made it a hub for tourists, locals, and newcomers. While thisdiverse influx of people has made Lavapiés a celebrated melting pot known for its diversity, art scene, and politicalactivism, it has also triggered tensions around integration, housing, and policing. Today, the atmosphere on the streets has changed and although it remains lively and vibrant, the residents of the district have to deal with the daily inconveniences of drug dealing, prostitution, and gang fights. Public squares that used to host community gatheringsare now neglected, and the deterioration of safety and persistent inconvenience caused by drug trafficking are a constant challenge to the daily lives of locals. The resulting discontent eventually culminated in the self-organised yellow flag movement. The silent protest, which began in a WhatsApp group, started with residents hanging yellow flags from their balconies and windows to show their dissatisfaction.

"It is impossible to live here!" has become a common saying. Violent gangs have changed the local environment, making daily life unbearable and in many cases, even dangerous. Several drug dens have also appeared in the neighbourhood, known as “narcopisos”. Within these dens, drug trafficking and prostitution flourish often accompanied by constant violence. Police raids, and evictions have only moved the problem from inside buildings to on the streets.

Many argue that greater efforts should be made to integrate immigrant communities and support their inclusion. In Lavapiés, official statistics indicate that 43.5% of the population is foreign-born. However, providing accurate figures has long been a challenge due to the large number of illegal immigrants. Indeed, the distinction between different cultural backgrounds is often seen as the root of the problem, as many long-term residents feel that this diversity has led to social tensions and cultural fragmentation.

The uncomfortable truth, which very few are willing to admit, is that whether legal or illegal, the arrival of large numbers of people of different ethnicities will, in one way or another, come at the expense of the original inhabitants and create a litany of challenges.

The deterioration in public safety and increase in crime are serious problems, but they are symptoms of the larger problem of rapid ethnic transformation and displacement. While differences in everyday customs and social norms do not generate nearly as much noise in the media, as crime, it is these differences which are the core cause of socialdiscomfort. Crime and violent gangs, after all, just represent a small minority of immigrants. And in case of Lavapiés, many of the migrant communities share the religion and language of Spain. But the devil is in the details, immigrant’s differing customs and norms are the first and most regular things their neighbors will encounter when interacting. This clash is only compounded by competition for social services, whose capacity is routinely failing to keep up with the increase in population due to migration.

Labeling those who question mass migration as xenophobic or racist does not erase the serious downsides of multicultural climates created by the influx of migrants. Multiculturalism may add diversity to neighbourhoods, but it also comes with a price. Different cultures, social norms and religions may coexist for a short while, but at some point they will clash, resulting in the conditions we see in Lavapies today. A constant sense of insecurity and neglect complicates the lives of the inhabitants, who are daily bearers of the state’s open border policy. 

Tragically for the residents of Lavapiés, those who have the strongest belief in multiculturalism and advocate for diversity and open borders, are isolated from these conditions, living instead in gated communities and pleasant neighborhoods, leaving the inhabitants of such neighbourhoods to deal with the intolerable results on their own. In the eyes of the elites, these are not problems, but a progression towards a more global city. But on the altar of globalisation, they sacrifice affordable housing, functioning social services, and national identity. The vast majority of immigrants will only increase Spain’s low-income residents who need health and social services. The children of immigrants, who bring a separate set of problems, have a major impact on public education, lowering schoolstandards and depriving the middle classes of the opportunity to move up. It results in a vicious self-repeating circlewhich erodes the local habitat of native citizens, drives them from their home, and makes them a minority in their own country.

Thus, “The construction of a city that only exists in dreams” envisioned by Lavapies’ residents where all ethnic groups coexist peacefully and undisturbed, remains just that, a dream.

Sources: 

Telemadrid. (2018, March 16). Lavapiés, un barrio multicultural con un 22,6 % de población extranjera. Telemadrid. https://www.telemadrid.es/noticias/madrid/Lavapies-barrio-multicultural-poblacion-extranjera-0-1994500540--20180316063211.html

Echagüe, J. V. (2023, July 8). Lavapiés: las zonas calientes del barrio más “videovigilado.” La Razón. https://www.larazon.es/madrid/lavapies-zonas-calientes-barrio-mas-videovigilado_2023070864a8c40cf7868800011c4865.html

Hispanidad. (2024, April 10). Hispanidad. https://www.hispanidad.com/politica/espana/drama-europa-lavapies-ciudad-abierta-delincuencia_12050068_102.html

Rodero, P. (2022, November 8). Las banderas amarillas de Lavapiés, contra la droga y el abandono: “Viene todo Madrid y toda Europa aquí a pillar y a consumir.” Www.20minutos.es - Últimas Noticias; 20minutos.https://www.20minutos.es/noticia/5074752/0/banderas-amarillas-lavapies-contra-droga-abandono-viene-todo-madrid-toda-europa-pillar-consumir/

Telemadrid. (2023, May 18). Banderas amarillas contra la droga en Lavapiés. Telemadrid. https://www.telemadrid.es/programas/buenos-dias-madrid/Banderas-amarillas-contra-la-droga-en-Lavapies-2-2561163863--20230518084948.html

Bentley-Astor, C. (2025, April). “The Altar of Multiculturalism.” Substack.com; Charlie Bentley-Astor. https://charliebentleyastor.substack.com/p/the-altar-of-multiculturalism

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