El Lokal

El Lokal is an underground bookshop, record shop and meeting space for social movements located at Carrer de la Cera, 1 in the Raval district of Barcelona. Founded in October 1987 through the union of the Ateneu Llibertari del Poble Sec and a group of neighbours from the Barri Xino, it operates under the principles of self-management and counterculture. The space has supported the insubordination movement, undocumented people, and has fought against evictions and the proliferation of narcopisos (drug flats) in the neighbourhood. In addition to books, it offers alternative material belonging to libertarian and punk culture, such as fanzines, badges and T-shirts. It also functions as a distributor. From its birth, El Lokal served as a space from which to organise the Barcelona movement against the 1992 Olympic Games, a project criticised for its association with gentrification and urban speculation. During the 1990s it was a reference point in Catalonia for support and dissemination of the indigenous Zapatista struggle born in Chiapas. It also played a prominent role in the antimilitarist movement, with the edition of the rock antimili cassette tape, of which 15,000 copies were made. Later, El Lokal was key in the birth of the Xenofilia project, aimed at advising immigrants and undocumented people. In the 2010s, the space was heavily involved in the campaign denouncing the controversial death of Juan Andrés Benítez at the hands of the Mossos d'Esquadra. The building housing El Lokal began to suffer real estate speculation from the late 1990s, passing into the hands of various investment groups. With the generalisation of this practice throughout the Raval neighbourhood, El Lokal became a centre for organising resistance against evictions and against the proliferation of narcopisos. In 2024, the founders of the space announced that they were forced to buy the premises as the only way to avoid eviction, since the owner, belonging to a vulture fund, had refused to renew their rental contract. Iñaki García is a Barcelona activist, founding member of El Lokal and one of its most visible faces. He has often been described by the press as the 'soul of El Lokal' or as an 'authentic reference of neighbourhood struggle in the Raval'. For his persistent activism at the head of El Lokal, Barcelona City Council has proposed up to twice awarding him the Medal of Honour of the City, an institutional recognition he has rejected both privately and as an entity.

El Lokal was founded in October 1987 through the union of the Ateneu Llibertari del Poble Sec and a group of neighbours from the Barri Xino. From its birth, it established itself as a space from which to articulate the Barcelona movement against the 1992 Olympic Games, a project criticised for its association with gentrification and urban speculation. During the 1990s, it was a reference point in Catalonia for the support and dissemination of the indigenous Zapatista struggle born in Chiapas. It also played a prominent role in the antimilitarist movement, with the edition of the rock antimili cassette tape, of which 15,000 copies were made. Later, El Lokal was key in the birth of the Xenofilia project, aimed at advising immigrants and undocumented people. In the 2010s, the space was heavily involved in the campaign denouncing the controversial death of Juan Andrés Benítez at the hands of the Mossos d'Esquadra. The building housing El Lokal began to suffer real estate speculation from the late 1990s, passing into the hands of various investment groups. With the generalisation of this practice throughout the Raval neighbourhood, El Lokal became a centre for organising resistance against evictions and against the proliferation of narcopisos. In 2024, the founders of the space announced that they were forced to buy the premises as the only way to avoid eviction, since the owner, belonging to a vulture fund, had refused to renew their rental contract.

• 2024

  Founders announced they were forced to buy the premises to avoid eviction by a vulture fund owner.

• 2010

  In the 2010s, heavily involved in the campaign denouncing the death of Juan Andrés Benítez.

• 1992

  Served as a space to organise the Barcelona movement against the Olympic Games.

• 1990

  During the 1990s, became a reference point in Catalonia for the Zapatista struggle and the antimilitarist movement, producing 15,000 copies of the rock antimili cassette.

• 1987

  Founded in October through the union of the Ateneu Llibertari del Poble Sec and neighbours from the Barri Xino.

Self-managed libertarian and countercultural space in Barcelona's Raval, combining retail with activism and mutual support.

• Books

  Underground and libertarian literature.

• Records

  Punk and alternative music records.

• Fanzines

  Self-published alternative publications.

• Badges and T-shirts

  Alternative cultural merchandise.

• Anti-Olympic Games movement
• Zapatista solidarity
• Antimilitarist movement
• Xenofilia project
• Justice for Juan Andrés Benítez
• Anti-eviction and anti-narcopisos resistance

1. 1Inicio - El Lokalellokal.org
2. 2El Lokal - Wikipediaca.wikipedia.org
3. 3El Lokal - Wikidatawikidata.org