Report from the Alcaucin demonstration

On Tuesday night 16th December over 100 residents of Alcaucin and members of Save Our Homes Axarquia (SOHA.ES) demonstrated against the demands of the Junta de Andalucia to revoke the licences of 16 houses in the town.

An anonymous resident of Alcaucin has denounced a total of 66 houses. The Junta is putting pressure on the councillors of Alcaucin to revoke the licences of 16 of these houses or face legal action and potentially lose their jobs.

The demonstration coincided with a special council meeting to discuss the Junta’s demands. Before the meeting Councillor Mario Blanke address the crowd in the square outside the Ayuntamiento. Blanke asked “Why does the Junta want to punish the homeowners and not the perpetrators of these crimes?” Waving various documents in the air he continued. “We’re not talking about houses that were built outside the law. Each and every one of the homes had and has all legally required permits.”

As many of the residents as possible crowded into the council meeting room. The Mayor, Domingo Lozano, insisted that the Ayuntamiento was legally obliged to approve the motion and revoke the licences. Councillor Blanke said that his conscience would not allow him to vote for the motion as it represented an injustice against innocent victims. However, in the event the motion was carried easily.

Speaking afterwards the Chairman of SOHA.ES, Philip Smalley, said “The decision of the Junta to push for the licences to be revoked beggars belief. These houses have stood for more than 10 years with all proper documentation, and all taxes paid. Now the Junta wants the owners, most of whom are pensioners, to live in fear of demolition. These actions further sully the reputation of Spain and do nothing to alleviate the economic plight of Andalucia. Moreover, these actions are a clear violation of Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights. It may be that our fight will continue outside of Spain. “