Carles Sagués: "The Generalitat gets its act together with the B9 when it realizes that Albiol is making it big"

BarcelonaAlso at Christmas, the activist Carlos Sagués She's been going back and forth, visiting the dozens of people who, after being evicted from the B9 building in Badalona, ​​continue to live in squalor under the C-31 highway bridge. Much to her chagrin, Sagués is the public face of Badalona Acull, the umbrella organization for the city's social service agencies, whose volunteers dedicate countless hours, physical and emotional effort, to caring for this group. All of this is done without any public aid or subsidies. The case of the occupants of the former high school, cleared by court order earlier this month, isn't Sagués's only cause; she's been known for years for her efforts to prevent [the eviction of these people]. evictions of the residents of Sant Roc

How are the spirits of those resisting under the bridge? Who are they?

— Spirits worsen with each passing dayThere are two main groups. On the one hand, a more marginalized sector, people with less ties to the community, fewer prospects, some with mental illnesses; and on the other, those who have jobs in the Badalona area who don't want to leave for fear of losing their income. These are the ones with the most doubts.

Is the relocation program still open?

— Yes, they are being relocated gradually. Although the On the 24th, the Generalitat told us that it had ended.We've been passing along the names of those who want to leave, and they've been finding them new places. We've maintained a direct line of communication with the Department of Social Rights, but it's a slow and complicated process because we have to take them to the shelters or hotels where spaces have been found. On Christmas morning, a volunteer took his car and drove some to Girona and others to El Prat.

What has gone wrong that today there are fifty people living in squalor under the bridge?

— We were critical of the relocation plan because it was rushedWithout asking or knowing anyone's personal situation, he didn't try to find out who would be happy to go to Lleida or who could travel to El Masnou. He wanted to rush things, finish everything in one afternoon, and improvise.

Whose failure is the eviction of those from the B9 building into the open air?

— The B9 project has been the culmination of a series of errors that led to an eviction that solves nothing. Badalona Acull spent two years working on it. identifying the 400 occupants of the institute We helped them register their address, accompanied them to the doctor... And we had files on many of them with details about when and how they had arrived in the country, where they had been, whether they worked, whether they had legal status... The intention was to have them identified by groups to help the immigration office and the departments of the Generalitat (Catalan government). It wasn't just about putting them under a roof, but also about working to solve the problems they faced.

Have you had any contact with municipal social services during this time?

— We've never known how they've been helped or how many have received assistance. We're told that perhaps fifteen or twenty people have been helped, but we don't know for sure. We do know that Badalona allocates minimal resources to social services for evicted families with children. The B9 project is just another example of a broader political strategy, as demonstrated by the closure of the Can Bufí Vell municipal shelter and the lack of a soup kitchen, even though a year and a half ago Badalona Acull submitted a proposal requesting only a space because we had a foundation that would take charge and the volunteers to open it. When people are evicted, they call organizations like ours, not social services. Let's not forget that since Albiol became mayor, the Housing Department was eliminated and replaced with an Unemployment Department, the City Council withdrew from the homelessness task force arguing that the objectives had been met, and the purchase of the Be Dream hotel to create a social shelter was closed.

Mayor Xavier García Albiol has publicly accused him of "politicizing" the B9 issue, alleging that he had been a councilor for Iniciativa.

— I believe it is dangerous for the highest authority to explicitly mention my name in front of an audience that is against migrants.

Since you know Albiol well, were you surprised by his performance?

— No, he came to power with that "Clean Up Badalona" campaign. But he's evolved and changed his strategy recently. Initially, he said he would evict everyone living in the B9 area because they were all criminals and he didn't want to spend money. He behaved like a small-town sheriffLater, he became heated again with anti-poor rhetoric. However, seeing the widespread solidarity and the actions taken by certain sectors, especially the Church, he reverted to his usual argument that local councils shouldn't have to pay for it, even though the involvement of all levels of government is necessary. However, three days earlier, it wasn't about money.

What do you think these changes in discourse are a response to?

— I imagine that this time he knows he's made a mistake, that he's gone too far in seeking votes that way, and he's realized it wasn't yielding good results, and perhaps he's received calls, especially from the Church, trying to get under his skin.

Caritas says they had never encountered such brutal opposition to housing as in Badalona.

— There have been no incidents with those evicted, and some residents of Sant Roc have even brought them clothes and food. This doesn't mean there aren't problems, because dozens of people living on the streets are making noise, leaning out of their homes, and having to relieve themselves in the street. But it's true that the Church has never before encountered a situation like the one in Badalona. Never before has housing people in need sparked such fear in the neighborhood.

Is Mayor Albiol responsible?

— They've been hearing from the highest authorities that everyone is a criminal and that there's danger if they live near their homes. Albiol creates imaginary scenarios based on falsehoods, which is the foundation of the far right: the blame lies with the Black person, the Jew, the communist, and never with the powerful.

Should someone have been required to call him to order?

— When he had a fit of euphoria accompanied by xenophobic and classist rhetoric, another authority should have stepped in decisively to stop him. But it's true that the Catalan government finally got its act together then, because until then it had responded by focusing on the division of powers and had very lukewarm reactions. That is, until it realized that Albiol was making a big deal out of it and started talking about relocation.