The plot located on the corner of Aurora street with Riereta street, in the Raval neighborhood of Barcelona, faces its eviction on May 14. The court order executes the recovery of the property by Sareb, the toxic asset manager dependent on the central government, after a second attempt by the owner to gain control of the space.
This land has been occupied since October 5, 2014. The neighbors chose that date because it coincided with the first anniversary of the reckless homicide of Juan Andrés Benítez, who died the night of October 5 to 6, 2013 at the hands of eight agents of the Mossos d'Esquadra. The place currently functions as a memorial and community center under the name Àgora Juan Andrés Benítez.
The community organizes a resistance against the court order
The managers of the space have activated a mobilization plan that includes a signature collection, a poster campaign, and a demonstration called for May 12. In addition, a campout is planned inside the plot with the aim of physically preventing the execution of the eviction order.
More than 400 groups have used the space in twelve years of uninterrupted neighborhood management. The venue remains open from Monday to Friday in the afternoon, specifically from 5:00 PM to 9:00 PM, and schedules diverse activities during the weekends.
Iñaki García, representative of El Lokal del Raval, has shown the determination of the occupants in the face of the imminent eviction.
"We are willing to fight until the last second to preserve the use of the space" - Iñaki García, El Lokal del Raval
The political path is presented as the only alternative to eviction
Given the impossibility of stopping the process through judicial remedies, the L'Àgora es queda al Raval campaign has taken its demands to institutions. Those responsible for the space have gone to the ombudsman and have requested the explicit support of political parties to halt Sareb's actions.
Elena Martín, a member of the citizen platform, explained that the legal strategy is exhausted due to the advanced stage of the procedure.
"We have gone to the ombudsman and then to the political level, obviously, because we are very aware that this has to be stopped at the political level. A legal demand in the execution phase, unless the company that is suing withdraws the demand, which lacks foundation, cannot be stopped in any way" - Elena Martín, L'Àgora es queda al Raval campaign
The property already tried to recover the plot in 2018, but that first procedure did not culminate in the effective eviction. Now, six years later, the asset manager insists on its claim over the property located at the exact spot where the neighborhood resident lost his life.
The case of Juan Andrés Benítez maintains a singular legal relevance in the Catalan context. The conviction of the agents involved constitutes the only final judgment for a death that occurred under police custody registered in Catalonia during the last fifteen years.