A Convergència i Unió (CiU) councillor in Gràcia (Barcelona), Víctor Cullell, has made a formal complaint over the insults and light injuries he received from a security guard based in municipal offices located on Calle Francesc Giner.

The incident occurred at the entrance to the office last Friday when, 15 minutes before the offices were due to close, Cullell arrived to hand in a number of documents as he does ‘like any other Friday’ - only to find the doors locked and various members of the public remonstrating that ‘it’s still not time to close.’

The security guard - who worked for a private security firm - is said to have then opened the door and shouted to those assembled that the office was shut.

The councillor asked the guard for an explanation but was met with pushes, insults, jostles and said that he ‘was grabbed by the neck.’ Cullell was also told by the security guard to stick the card identifying him as a councillor ‘up his arse’.

Finally, various office workers intervened, admitting that the doors were closed ahead of schedule in order to deal with the high number of people they were handling at the time.

The security guard disappeared from the scene upon the arrival of the area manager Montserrat Filomeno, who reproached the workers for having closed the doors early.

CiU has presented a complaint at Barcelona City Council and at authorities in Gràcia, demanding that the contract with the private security company in question be rescinded.

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