Mega police operation to evict a block of 60 houses occupied since 2009. More than 200 agents of the National and local Police have begun to evict some 300 people at dawn this Friday, of which 180 are children, in the Madrid town of Alcobendas, north of the Community of Madrid. Including the riot police.
The building, located at number 26 Francisco Largo Caballero street, was fully occupied, according to municipal sources, who explained that, apparently, only the residents of two of the houses paid the corresponding rent.
Vans of the National Police have arrived at the building since 6:30 a.m. and have begun to call the flats for the occupants to evict them.
The families were already warned that the eviction was going to take place these days, so they already had suitcases and backpacks prepared with their belongings. They have been given a period of about six days to remove their belongings. In some floors it has been possible to see that there were marijuana plants.
There have been no major mishaps in the operation, but the police have literally taken over the area. He has even brought drones to keep his acting under control.
To expedite the evictions, two entire blocks have been closed to traffic and several civil protection and emergency units also remain in the place in case any incident had to be attended to; in fact, one of the evicted neighbors has fainted. The emergency services have set up tents in a field in front of the property in case more people have to be treated in the coming days.
According to municipal sources and the people who occupied the property, among its inhabitants there were about 180 minors; the neighbors have explained that all the floors were inhabited since as soon as one was empty it was immediately occupied. They have been like this since 2009.
The evicted have complained about the “police violence” with which the eviction has occurred, since they say that the agents have entered “by force” breaking down doors and that they have treated them “like dogs”, reports Efe.
José Manuel Barroso, a lawyer for the property’s owners, explained “that the building was for rental apartments”, the problem is that apparently only two tenants paid their monthly rent.
Some of the evicted have expressed their sadness at having to leave their homes, which they say they want to pay but cannot because of the high price that is being asked of them.