The streets of Barcelona comprise a battlefield which continues to host skirmishes and more enduring clashes between armed police, the civil guard, the army, and local people.
The streets of the city have seen fierce clashes over issues such as workers' rights, the all-pervasive and malign influence of the Church, education, Republicanism, a Stalinist coup, national independence, workers' self-management, property speculation, squatters' rights, forced evictions and revolution.
Friday, July 17th, 1936:
The city is awash with rumours — have they or haven't they?
Tensions are high.
Has a cabal of generals and colonels issued orders to the armed forces to rise against the Republic?
Radio and telephone messages from Morocco suggest so. But government censors suppress newspapers and radio stations from broadcasting what little information there is.
Anarchist spies in barracks across the city report that a military uprising is set to begin during the early hours of Sunday, July 19th.
Local authorities refuse workers' demands for weapons. Activists in the transport workers union take the initiative and raid two ships in the harbour. They expropriate and distribute 200 rifles.