Ciudadanos believes that the phenomenon of squatting deserves a pact between all political forces. The deputy in the Parliament Anna Grau, candidate of the formation to the Barcelona City Council, has announced in plenary session that she will send a letter to the other parties so that they commit to jointly fight against this phenomenon, for which she blames the mayoress Ada Colau, as a "priority" in the face of the current housing crisis.
During her question about the "constant occupation of real estate" to the Minister of the Interior, Joan Ignasi Elena, who has "shared some things" but has criticized the "electoralism" of Grau's speech, the mayor of Ciudadanos has indicated that in order to put an end to this "scourge" a state legislative change would be necessary, because, in his opinion, the current criminal framework favors "criminal squatting", after which Grau has denounced "mafioso and even terrorist" attitudes.
While waiting for a legal reform that allows for more effective action against squatting, the need for which Elena agreed in her letter, which La Vanguardia has had access to, Grau proposes a commitment from all the mayors to work together against this “drama”.
In this sense, Grau accuses the Colau City Council of "coddling" the "hordes of squatters who have taken over the city", which put "neighborhood and social peace in check" and "intimidate owners and neighbors". "If you are afraid that evicting before the elections will make you lose votes, here is my offer: let's evict together," he reads in his letter to the other candidates. "The more we are, the easier it will be to evict the problem and welcome the solution," concludes the mayor.
Ciudadanos promises to put an end to this phenomenon and calls for a "broad front" to "evict together" houses like El Kubo, in Bonanova, whose eviction has been paralyzed by the "threat of the squatters to burn down the neighborhood." Grau calls to go with her every Tuesday at 8:00 p.m. to protest "peacefully" in front of this squatted farm in the Sarrià-Sant Gervasi district. "We will not block streets or insult anyone," said the mayor, who has called for "everyone" to go, including Minister Elena himself.
El Kubo, like the adjacent La Ruina, is a house that has been squatted for years in the Bonanova neighborhood, at number 6 Joan de la Salle street. Property of Sareb, its eviction was suspended in mid-March. "The repressive forces of the State do not see themselves capable of evicting us. For this reason the court has suspended the launch," the group that inhabits the farm, surrounded by fences and other elements that make it difficult for police access, announced on their social networks.
