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Spain: muscular methods of private companies against squatters
Spain: muscular methods of private companies against squatters
(France 2)
In Spain, the number of squats has exploded. Since eviction rules are strict, some people do not hesitate to use private removal companies.
Private companies promise owners to exploit squatters in their homes, and the market is booming. On social networks, they promote muscular and expeditious methods. In Spain, these brigades are controversial. France Télévisons followed one of these companies, Fuera Okupas. That morning, they intervened in a building in a working-class district of Madrid (Spain).
A “mediation” company
Fuera Okupas presents itself as a common mediation company, which only acts as an intermediary between owners and occupants. The company claims to be able to evict squatters on average in three weeks. In another district of Madrid, with the authorization of the owner, the agents dismantle the entrance door of the occupied building. “We are with the police, we are not doing anything illegal,” they say. The police were in fact notified of the intervention. A lawyer is also always present to ensure that the company complies with the law. The building is thus left without a door, without protection. Fuera Okupas will then come and cut the electricity and harass the occupants.
Since May 2023, the government has tightened the conditions for evicting squatters, and the courts take on average a year and a half to render a decision.
