Costa News Spain Breaking News | English News in Spain.
Guardia Civil and Riot Police evicted hundreds on the Costa del Sol on Tuesday.
More than 300 people have been evicted from a complex in Manilva on Calle Sarmiento, including more than half (180) of the homeless.
After the protesters marched into the town hall, the local mayor refused to appear to address them.
The nearby sports hall is currently offering shelter to the families, but they are still left without the basic necessities that are in their homes.
The sports hall provides little else for the evicted family members than a roof and showers. Only one neighbor brought mattresses to accommodate the hundreds of people.
READ MORE WATCH: Harrowing scenes as dozens of families are evicted on the Costa del Sol after ‘vulture fund’ buys their homes for just €14,000 each
The Olive Press reports that the residents feel abandoned by local officials, who have not answered their questions and made false assurances.
The mayor promised that he would take care of this situation and find hotels to accommodate families with kids, but it didn’t. This was confirmed by a witness who refused to give his name.
“He also promised to show up. But apparently, he had many meetings today that were of greater importance.”
The Olive Press reported that another witness said: “This morning, around 70 or 80 people were at the Olive Press.”
The police officers went to the building and surrounded it as if this was a crime.
“There were a lot of irregularities in the way the eviction was done, one of which was that social services were not provided to take care of the young and old people that were in the building.
“There was an elderly woman in a wheelchair who had a stroke after they kicked everybody out.
“She was left alone inside and we had fought for someone to go back and try to get her.”
They blocked off the streets so that no one could see what was happening. They knew they were doing wrong.”
Residents have taken matters into their hands, and instead called the Red Cross in order to receive food and other essentials.
READ MORE As digital nomads seek refuge in the west, the war in the Middle East has pushed short-term rental prices in Barcelona up by nearly 500%
The Olive Press was told by witnesses that security companies had been waiting in the wings to enter homes once they were empty to install alarms and cameras. The entrances were also being blocked off.
The police and security declined to answer any questions we had about the eviction.
After the eviction the residents marched on the Manilva Town Hall demanding immediate accommodation.
After months of uncertainty about the future of this structure, an incident occurred.
READ MORE Ecuadorean drug lord and ‘narcoterrorist’ lives free in Catalonia’s Costa Dorada after judicial blunder
Families originally moved into the building without electricity and water, paying €50 a month in exchange for doing the rehabilitation work themselves.
Years later, in 2023, the building was sold to a reported Irish ‘vulture fund’ for a bargain price averaging €14,000 each.
The new owners then went to court and demanded the evictions of all residents. This was approved today.
The Olive Press contacted the Town Hall for a comment.
The eviction, originally scheduled for February 1, was delayed because of the severe winter storms.
Left-wing politicians have pointed the finger at the regional government in the wake of the crisis.
Podemos representatives, Izquierda Unida representatives and Adelante Andalucia members have all heavily criticised Juanma Moreno and the Junta President for not intervening.
They accused the authorities of ‘putting out the red carpet’ for speculative investors while abandoning working-class families to the streets.
The Olive Press has more Costa Del Sol News. Click here to read it.
