The City authorities in Zaragoza have announced restrictions on street performers in line with the current commercial limits. As of Monday 25th January 2021 performers will need to cease activity by 18.00 on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, 20:00 on Wednesday and Thursday with no permitted activity on Monday and Tuesday.
Zaragoza Council authorise 60 licenses for street performers with 45 musicians and 15 performers of other disciplines making up that number. A further 5 are issued on market days.
The city council have clearly reacted to the scenes seen over the weekend where crowds gathered to dance and sing in the city centre while a street performer sang. The events, captured on video, have been described as an unlicensed concert but was, in actual fact, a gathering of people while a busker performed in Calle Alfonso in the centre of the city. Sources reveal that Local Police did attend the incident and required the crowd to disperse, which they did without incident. The singer, Senegalese born Mamadou Sall , better known as "Big Moon" has been a familiar presence on the streets of Zaragoza over the past decade. He had no problem bringing his performance to an end and complied with Police instructions.
The vast majority of people in the street were wearing masks, albeit some lowered to their chin. It was obviously difficult to maintain social distancing in the crowded street but it was otherwise a good natured moment of spontaneous cultural celebration.
It was a curious weekend across Europe, with protestors burning down a COVID testing facility in Holland and there were violent clashes between Police and protestors in Amsterdam and Eindhoven. Copenhagen witnessed violent clashes on Saturday as protestors burnt effigies of the Danish Prime Minister, although representatives of the protestors have claimed that the protest was peaceful and only once the Police aggressively engaged did the situation escalate.
The Government in France is openly considering another national lockdown as tensions have escalated. Macron has snapped back at criticism of his government, The French President said: "we have become a nation of 66 million prosecutors. It is not the way we face the crisis or move forward."
Meanwhile, restaurants and bars across Italy have opened in rejection of the country wide restrictions with people eating and singing together and videos emerging of Police being removed from venues. A campaign organised across social medias using #IoArpo (I Open).
The Zaragoza City Council called for personal responsibility and stressed that totally inappropriate behaviour is censured in the current health situation, such as those that occurred on time this weekend. Citizen collaboration is requested to identify and report such behaviour to the authorities.
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