Hundreds of elderly Barcelona residents filled Plaça Sant Jaume yesterday afternoon, demanding an end to age discrimination across the city. The rally, organised by over 30 local groups, marked International Day of Older Persons. Both Mayor Jaume Collboni and councillor Mònica Martínez Bravo showed up to hear the protesters’ concerns.
Around 600 people turned out for the demonstration, according to the city council. The protesters rejected what they called the “silent and normalised discrimination” of ageism in Barcelona society. Actress Vicky Peña read out a manifesto calling for a city that respects, values and includes older residents.
Dr Manel Domínguez, who hosted the event, pointed out that “getting older doesn’t mean losing freedom or quality of life”. He highlighted the double discrimination facing older women, who experience both sexism and ageism. Meanwhile, he criticised how society infantilises elderly people.
The manifesto called for decent pensions that allow people to live with dignity. It also demanded policies and laws that protect against age discrimination. Peña stressed that older people hold “experience, knowledge and memory” and should be valued members of the community.
Councillor Martínez Bravo used the event to announce that care homes now have a one-year extension to meet quality requirements for public places. The Catalan parliament approved this extension by decree law yesterday. She insisted there would be “no discontinuity in service” because funding is guaranteed.
However, the Coordinadora Familiars de Residències 5+1 spoke out against the extension. They believe many care homes fail to meet minimum habitability standards and that companies have known “for a long time” they needed to improve. The group criticised recent policies for promoting “big business” whilst failing to create enough public places or provide fair working conditions.
Spokesperson Aurora Huerga told the crowd that elderly people are “just as diverse and plural” as the rest of society. She said they want to continue fighting for their rights and dignity, just as they’ve done all their lives.
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