In Manresa, the PAHC Bages housing rights platform is calling for public support to stop the planned eviction of the whole Bloc 8 building on 23 September. The group says the owner, Cerberus, has restarted legal proceedings to empty the block.
The announcement was made at a press conference outside the Manresa Courts, where residents of Bloc 8 and representatives of several organisations gathered. Clàudia Sorines and Abdei, a resident of the affected block, read a statement on behalf of the group.
PAHC Bages said it wants the city, social movements, unions, organisations and neighbours to support the families living in the block. The group said the case is about more than one building, and linked it to the wider right to dignified housing.
The platform also renewed its demand for public administrations to buy or expropriate Bloc 8. The Manresa City Council and the Catalan Housing Agency had previously negotiated to buy the building, but the owner did not accept the price offered by the public administrations.
The Catalan Housing Union Confederation (CSHAC) also backed the purchase of Bloc 8 in Manresa, but the deadlines passed without agreement. The administrations offered €450,000, while Cerberus asked for €650,000. The City Council and the Catalan Housing Agency have described the asking price as speculative.
PAHC Bages said it agrees with that view, and argued that public administrations should be able to set limits on vulture funds operating in Catalonia. The group also said the legal process has resumed now that the pre-emption and retraction period is over.
The new eviction action could repeat the tense scenes seen on 9 February, when an eviction was stopped at the last minute. On that day, police and block defenders had prepared for a stand-off, but only one of the six families living there was facing eviction. This time, the planned action would affect the entire block.
For more local housing coverage, see our news page.