Right to housing | Neighbors of San Ildefonso, 20 carry out direct action and the police threatens arrests – El Salto

The neighbors of the Lavapiés neighborhood building had summoned a protest action in front of the block this morning, tired of demolition noises, lights of light and water. The objective, they say, was not to let any operator of the company Ardines SL and paralyze the works they are carrying out within the building. The call was scheduled for 7:20 hours, but an hour before two National Police vans arrived and deployed an operation with at least ten agents, plus the collaboration of a municipal patrol. The two mouths closed, preventing solidarity neighbors and people convened by the tenant union approaching.

Given this situation, some neighbors left in front of the portal to read a statement. “Having committed various crimes that have been denounced in the judicial headquarters and with the wild realization of works that have generated cracks in the building and the fall of a piece of the roof of the house of one of the neighbors, endangering the life and physical integrity of all the people who reside in this building, we planted and demand the immediate stoppage of the works of the works“I prayed A part of the text read from a living voice by Nacho, one of the neighbors.

After negotiating with the Police, under express threat of the authority that there were arrests if they did not let the work managers pass, finally at 8:45 they made their way, with the word of the person in charge of the construction company that they would be more careful with the demolitions and not bother the neighbors so much.

“They are demolishing the floors simultaneously and they are making life impossible with their drills on each side of our floor and those in charge of works of the company Ardines, act as thugs when they are asked for a little consideration.”

José, another of the tenants, considers that police action is a clear provocation and that is part of the systematic harassment that they have been suffering by the order of the property, which uses workers as a shield to commit troops of all kinds in the building with neighbors and neighbors inside.

“They are demolishing the floors simultaneously and they are making life impossible with their drills on each side of our floor and those in charge of works of the company Ardines, they act as thugs when they are asked for a little consideration,” says José. He says that in all this time they have not prevented work, but they have expressed their concern to the chiefs of work, they have called the police, firefighters because of the fear that is going from the building to collapse with them inside. But the answer has been more noise and more confrontation with the neighborhood, while the property representative, Santiago (Yago) Ratera Boots, has not given the face since demolitions began.

Letizia has been in San Ildefonso, 20 for five years and says that for a month and a half the hostilities increased, with some cuts of light and water to some neighbors. «This is inhuman, they are sweeping everything and are also committing crimes against people. The workers execute the works with us inside and do not attend to reasons or arguments, having that they are just a few mandates and that they have to finish the works ». However, the neighbors denounce that the construction company is transferring the limits, since its workers have pierced the roof of a inhabited house, collapsing a part, in the middle of Holy Week. “Luckily we had left, because I could have fallen on my little daughter,” says Lili, a tenant who also cut the water the workers of the Ardines company themselves.

A Calvary for more than a year

In December 2023, a screen company created that same month buys the entire block of a single owner. “The owner did not notify us of the sale and we found out for a bureaux that did not renew the contract,” says Nacho, also a neighbor of the block. From that moment on, the neighbors are organized and with the advice of the Tenne Union of Madrid, they declare a block in fighting and propose as exit the creation of a housing cooperative to be able to acquire the entire building.

The building was bought by the company ATM Tyr Real Estate, controlled, in all or part, by the Family Abarca Cidón. Then, in November 2024, the entire block has been sold again to the EREM SI20 company, controlled by Argentine investors. «Both companies are pieces of the same infinite speculation gear that does not recognize lives, homes or communities, which does not generate value, but more empty homes and higher rentals. It is pure unproductive and opportunistic rentism, ”says José, who has followed the track of the sale and resale of the property.

At this time, neighbors, as reported, have fought for the renewal of rental contracts and have proposed to buy the building under a fair model: that of a housing cooperative in transfer of use. But they denounce that, in each proposal, in each attempted dialogue, they have received portzos and contempt.

“In all this time we responded with cheerful rebellion. We celebrated a party that was not only music and lemonade, but an act of collective resistance. A bird of fire raised the flight to scare the vultures that plan on our cities. Because life is leaving in this,” says Letizia, although he also clarifies that they are already starting to get tired and that is why they respond with a direct action like today.