Eight families evicted from Badalona building set for demolition
Conservative mayor accused of using eviction for electoral purposes
Eight families living in a building slated for demolition in the La Salut neighborhood of Badalona were evicted on Friday.
More than a hundred people, including neighbors, activists, and city council members, gathered at the residence to protest the eviction, which went ahead as planned and involved several units of the Catalan police Mossos d'Esquadra.
Carles Sagués, a member of the Sant Roc Som Badalona platform, denounced that the eight families have no alternative housing and demanded a temporary solution for the families and accountability from the property owner.
"The solution cannot be to evict the families and leave them without alternatives," he said.
Emma Puig, a member of the Housing Union in Badalona, accused the city's mayor, Xavier García Albiol, of taking advantage of the situation for electoral purposes.
She said the mayor has spread "lies" about these families and emphasized the "good coexistence" in the area.
In response to the criticism, Albiol said on social media: "We will not sweep an illegal occupation under the carpet, no matter who it is."
Albiol pointed out problems in the building, such as the fact that residents had tampered with the electricity and that the building had been declared uninhabitable.