"We had the Mossos d'Esquadra 50 meters away": Eviction of a long-time activist halted in extremis

BarcelonaSeven police vans, tension and confusion until the last moment. Finally, the judicial delegation decided to arrest in extremis the eviction scheduled for this morning at the home of the Juanjo, a historic activist from Ciutat Meridiana, one of the poorest neighborhoods in Barcelona. The Renters' Union had been denouncing for days that it made "no sense" for the owner—the Cerberus fund—to uphold the eviction order because, according to the union, an agreement in principle had already been reached.

"Everything depended on a bureaucratic process that hadn't been processed in time due to Cerberus' negligence," the union stated at the time they managed to stop the eviction. "It was absurd," they insisted, referring to the large police presence. The organization explains that it was obvious the eviction would be stopped because a few weeks ago they had already closed a "purchase agreement for the apartment between the Union, Techo Cívico, and the owner." Therefore, they find it "senseless" that the Department of the Interior would also allocate "public resources to violently evict Juanjo."

The agreement, they explain, is unprecedented and meets all the fund's requirements. According to the union, the social entity did not negotiate or haggle over the price and agreed to purchase the apartment from the fund for the same amount the company had requested. However, this morning the agreement still had not received final approval from Cerberus management, so the eviction had not been annulled. After clearing the remaining paperwork, the committee finally postponed the process until October—but did not definitively suspend it—when they hope the deposit contract will be formalized and the sale will be finalized. For its part, the union hopes to "be able to issue a final resolution" to this case in the coming weeks.

Tension in the street

However, the initial understanding between the parties did not prevent the escalation of tension, which was evident this morning in Ciutat Meridiana. "We had the Mossos d'Esquadra police prepared to act 50 meters away," noted some of the witnesses at the ARA (Argentine Police). Early in the morning, several Mossos d'Esquadra vans arrived at Rasos de Peguera Street, where Juanjo lives, to carry out the eviction. Tensions increased when the officers got out of the vehicles and approached the fifty or so activists who were gathered at the door in support of Juanjo.

Finally, the mediation between the union and the courts has borne fruit. The final step has been completed, and the committee has finally postponed, once again, the eviction of this legendary activist.