Month: Jul 2019

Barcelona: 15 day blockade stops Blackstone eviction of 10 Families

.. ”Giant vulture funds are fast becoming our landlords.  But why should  the 1% be allowed to suck our blood forever with impossible mortgages and rents boosted by their disgusting greed? From Berlin to Barcelona and every city we call for rent strikes and occupations. The Raval victory shows that mass resistance and solidarity can WIN”..

Raval neighbors 15 day blockade stops Blackstone eviction of 10 Families

Neighbours in the Raval barrio in Barcelona have held a successful 15 day long resistance campaign from 1st July to block plans by vulture fund Blackstone to evict people by surprise in Carrer Hospital. The blockade was widely supported round the clock  with all kinds of activities, workshops, concerts, etcetera.

Evictions in the Raval neighbourhood are a daily occurance , sometimes up to 5 a day. In recent years anarchist groups have promoted a growing  practical solidarity network  to block evictions and help homeless victims.

Blackstone is the world’s biggest vulture fund. It arrived in Spain in 2013 and by now has over 100,000 ‘assets’, mostly homes evicted due to the criminal  housing policy. For example Blackstone bought 41,000 mortgages for a giveaway price from a bank which had just been ‘bailed out’ with a free gift of 12,000 million of public money.

XVII Festes Alternatives del Raval de l’11 al 14 de juliol a l’Àgora Juan Andrés divendres 12 de juliol de 12 a 14h Putivermú al Carrer […]

The local housing union Sindicat Habitatge Raval@RavalSindicat, held a press conference this morning 15/07/2019 claiming victory after the street was blocked  fore 15 days and the legal eviction time ran out. Though illegal evictions are common it’s unlikely in this case as it would cause a riot.

Blackstone has begun negotiating and now offers 7 of the families rent contracts, which would be a ‘first time ever’ for the vulture fund. It seems that, like in the case of the giant Cerberus fund evicting a community garden , Blackstone is being forced to cancel a publicly resisted eviction, in order to quietly go ahead exploiting its other 100,000 properties.

Blackstone (Anticipa) and 32 smaller funds were invited in by the far right PP with tax free incentives and have always employed mob-like practices such as extortion, blackmail, bribes, rental prices which families can’t afford (pocketing public subsidies), abusive clauses, and selling apartments before rental contracts end in order to promote the expulsion of the tenants.

  In the first three months of 2019 the youth unemployment rate for under 25’s in Catalonia was 30.5%

Over 0ne million people have lost theit homes in the Spanish State since the ‘crisis began.

The avalanche of homeless families are helped, case by case, by volunteers Image result for ocupacion del sede de Anticipa Blackstone en el Pratfrom the Plataforma de Afectados por la Hipoteca (Platform for People Affected by Mortgages). It’s a Spanish grassroots organization with over 150 local branches that takes direct action to stop evictions and campaigns for housing rights. For example in June 2018 they occupied Anticipa/Blackstone’s headquarters in Prat de Llobregat (Barcelona)


https://twitter.com/endavantcv/status/1146462835582668800

Above video: Mass picket outside apartment o Blackstone’s Barcelona manager Mendiluce . This protest tactic is a huge success. The banner  above reads  ”If you come to our houses we will come to yours. Eduard Mendiluce,  Stop the eviction of c/ Hospital 99.”

 

  

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SEE.. Sindicat de llogaters ..https://twitter.com/ravalsindicat?lang=en   ALSO: El Raval, en peu de guerra contra l’especulació de Blackstone

MAYDAY is the name of a big new Occupied Social Center, occupied on May 1st 2019 in the central Raval area. The building was squatted twice before as a collectivised student residence. It was extremely destroyed after the 2nd eviction and is still being renovated by the new collective and neighbourhood.

see also  … Road to Revolution: The Barcelona Rent Strike of 1931./

 

 

 

The Squatted Garden and the Vilest Vulture Fund on Earth

 

Love and Power: The Ballad of Oso Blanco Revisited

..By     Anonymous Contributon   … shared via It’s Going Down

“It’s a long way to Nottinghamshire,
Or to Chiapas, Mexico,
But you can’t tell me that Robin Hood ain’t real
Since the Feds caught up with Oso Blanco!”
– The Martyr Index, by “Oso Blanco”

“I hope to inspire people to have courage beyond their daily understanding. As we truly have endless love and power within.”
– Letter from Oso Blanco, 6/4/2019

by Clayton P

Official sources say that Oso Blanco, to whom the State refers by his birth name, Byron Shane Chubbuck, is responsible for about 20 bank robberies from 1998-1999, all undertaken for the express purpose of aiding the EZLN (Ejército Zapatista de Liberación Nacional/Zapatista National Liberation Army) in Chiapas. Oso Blanco himself puts the number of “robberies” at closer to 50.

“The bankers got bailed out. Oso Blanco went to prison.”

There’s a satisfying symmetry—I won’t call it poetic justice—in using money from banks to fund revolutionary struggle. Banks are in the business of burying people’s hopes and of destroying their dreams. But the goals of freedom-fighters like the Zapatistas—and like Oso Blanco himself—are to keep hope alive, to nurture the revolutionary dream of a world free from oppression and exploitation. Continue reading “Love and Power: The Ballad of Oso Blanco Revisited”

The Squatted Garden and the Vilest Vulture Fund on Earth

in Spanish.. Leer En Castellano   AQUÍ   El Huerto Okupado contra el Buitre más Malvado del Mundo

The owner of the  squatted garden in Prosperitat, Barcelona gets $3,000,000,000 a year from the USA for ‘military services’

On June 21 the squatted garden collective  in the working class  Prosperitat neighborhood in Barcelona had a second eviction Case, this time by the new owner, the vulture fund, Cerberus belonging to Trump’s favourite billionaire, the mega parasite Steve Feinberg.

Cerberus is preparing the bullying or eviction of thousands of homes bought in lots in poorer neighborhoods to then gentrify and resell at exorbitant prices.

see also .. Barcelona: 15 day blockade stops Blackstone eviction of 10 Families

The gardens, which have been squatted for 3 years, (previously abandoned for 10 years) are described as “a model of anarchist functioning” and have the unanimous support of the entire neighborhood, from the town hall to the neighbour’s cat. It is also known as an ‘Agora’, a free space for all kinds of activities.

The first failed eviction attempt was by the BBVA .. the parasite bank, which, despite being ‘rescued’ with an incredible 12 billion euros of our tax money, continues to abuse with countless evictions, blatant speculation and harmful practices, resisted by companions of the PAH. Obra Social and the Okupas.

BBVA even supports the mafia organization called Desokupa (squat evicters), formed by hired thugs who are evicting illegally while the police look the other way.

The  second failed eviction case resulted in another agreed suspension….VICTORY ..Perhaps for public relations reasons Cerberus doesn’t want to mix it with a community who love their garden, and prefer to quietly proceed with their other 100,000 properties Long live the squatted gardens..Date una huerta… an oasis of community spirit and common sense. Continue reading “The Squatted Garden and the Vilest Vulture Fund on Earth”

Anarchist Prisoner Luis Fernando Sotelo to be Released!

Luis Fernando Sotelo, anarchist political prisoner in Mexico City, is set to be released on July 12th after 4 years and eight months in prison.

Luis Fernando Sotelo Zambrano was arrested alongside Sergio Pérez Landero on November 5, 2014, near University City in Mexico City, following the Third Global Day of Action for Ayotzinapa. During the demonstration, a Metrobús station and a Metrobús (a rapid transit bus service) were burned.

The following day, Sergio was released for lack of evidence, while 20-year-old student Luis Fernando was charged with several major crimes and sent to South Prison (Reclusorio Sur) in Mexico City where for a time he was held in solitary confinement.

Luis Fernando was involved in various political projects, including the Ollin Meztli Collective, the ik’ otik Cooperative, the Network Against Repression and for Solidarity, and is an adherent to the Zapatista’s Sixth Declaration.

In 2016, Sotelo and several other prisoners participated in a hunger strike in solidarity with the prison strike underway in the United States against prison slavery and in support of the revolts against the killing of African-Americans by police.

Statement by Campaign for the Freedom of Luis Fernando Sotelo:

To the Zapatista Army of National Liberation

To the National Indigenous Congress, Indigenous Governing Council

To the National and International Sixth

To the Left Independent Popular Organization Francisco Villa

To the Compañerxs in Solidarity

To Our Families

Since November 5th, 2014, for more than four years, we have received solidarity from you all, to accompany the struggle for the freedom of Luis Fernando Sotelo Zambrano. The possibility of having Luis in the streets with us is possible thanks to the effort of the legal-political struggle that we have carried out against state repression.

Since November 5th when Luis was arbitrarily detained, even as the repression beat us again and again, Los Otros Abogadoz and Luis, you all, us, we never gave up. Each time we resisted, with a legal appeal, a protest and/ or the closing of the courthouse. In consequence, his sentence was reduced from long-term confinement that sought to rob him of his entire life, to his upcoming release.

To all of those who were there during these four years and eight months with your expressions of solidarity; the mobilizations, publications, economic donations, letters, music, food, forums that you all organized, coffee, honey, fanzines, psychological support, medical support, opening spaces to us in your community assemblies, “encanto del condón,” from the other side of the Atlantic, with your documentaries, engravings, hunger strikes, paintings, serigraphy, hand crafts, organic products, dance…to you all we thank you infinitely. With what you put together to accompany and sustain this struggle, we learned from your solidarity in practice and not only in words.

To those who were not there but who took the stage, who took the microphone, who waved the flag “our prisoners”, who spoke the name of Luis…to you all we say, thank you because we learned who are and who aren’t our compañerxs.

Today, after all of this, we inform you all that our compañero Luis Fernando Sotelo will be released.

WE CALL FOR A RALLY ON JULY 12TH IN THE SOUTHERN PRISON OF MEXICO CITY TO THOSE WHO WANT TO RECEIVE SOTELO AS HE IS RELEASED.

The struggle for freedom does not end with the freedom of Luis. There exists many more imprisoned compañerxs and we are clear that we can only build another world when we are all free!

FREEDOM TO MIGUEL PERALTA!

FREEDOM TO FIDENCIO ALDAMA!

Campaign for the Freedom of Luis Fernando Sotelo

El Huerto Okupado contra el Buitre más Malvado del Mundo ..

El dueño del huerto okupado de la Prosperitat recibe $3.000.000.000 el año de EEUU por ‘servicios militares’

read in English Here:   https://wp.me/pIJl9-d6Z

El día 21 de Junio el colectivo del huerto y jardín okupado  en el barrio obrero de la Prosperitat en Barcelona fue amenazado con desalojo, este vez por parte del dueño nuevo, el fondo buitre , Cerberus que pertenece al mega buitre Steve Feinberg. Cerberus está preparando el ‘mobbing’ y el desalojo de miles de pisos comprados en lotes en barrios populares para luego gentrificar y revender a precios exorbitantes.

Vecinos del Raval hacen 15 dias de resistencia en conrta de desalojos inminentes de Blackstone desde 1 de Juliol. ver.. Sindicat de llogaters ..https://twitter.com/ravalsindicat?lang=en
.ver también: El Raval, en peu de guerra contra l’especulació de Blackstone

Sin embargo, a lo mejor para hacer relaciones públicas,  no se ha atrevido meterse con l*s okupas de La Prosperitat. El caso ha sido suspendido temporalmente y el  huerto sigue desafiando el ‘buitre más malvado del mundo’.

ver tambien..Barcelona: 15 day blockade stops Blackstone eviction of 10 Families

El huerto, que ha sido okupado durante 3 años, (antes fue abandonado 10 años) es ”un modelo de funcionamiento libertario” y cuenta con el apoyo unánime del barrio entero, desde el ayuntamiento al gato de la vecina, y es también un ‘Ágora’, un espacio libre para todo tipo de actividades.

El primer intento de desalojo fallado fue por parte del BBVA.. el banco buitre, que, a pasar de ser rescatado con 12 mil millones de dinero público sigue abusando con desalojas masivas, especulación descarada y prácticas nocivas, resistido por compañer*s de la PAH. la Obra Social y los Okupas. BBVA incluso da apoyo a la organización mafiosa llamada Desokupa, formada por sicarios de los desahucios que se dedican a desalojar ilegalmente. El huerto fue vendido como parte de un ‘paquete’ a Cerberus, el fondo de 4,000,000,000 dolares del  Steve Feinberg de Nueva York, amigo personal de Donald Trump, . (La palabra ‘Cerberus’ significa un monstruo mítico Griego de 3 cabezas!). En 2018, el Donald Trump nombró al multimillonario  Feinberg para dirigir  la Junta de Inteligencia del Presidente

Con la compra desde Banc Sabadell de dos carteras inmobiliarias valoradas en 3.900 millones de euros por Cerberus Capital Management, (tras una quita del 57%), Santander (1.535 millones y 35.700 activos inmobiliarios) y BBVA (su cartera inmobiliaria por 4.000 millones) , Cerberus ya ha gastado cerca a 20,000 millones en inmobiliaria en España, y tiene un nivel ahora casi igual como Blackstone, el líder de los 32 fondos buitre que comen nuestras casas, con más que 100,000 ‘activos’.

Cerberus gana miles de millones aprovechando la muerte y la miseria como ”contratista” de la CIA en las guerras de Iraq, Siria, Afganistán, etcétera y invierte en propriedad muy barato en Europa, mucha de ella robado del público por no poder pagar hipotecas abusivos. Mucho del  dinero viene de su filial DynCorp como contratista militar, y indirectamente del monopolio financiero de los EEUU que puede ‘imprimir’ hasta $ trillones  porque todos tienen que negociar en dolares.

El dueño y CEO de Cerberus, Steve Feinberg, ha aplaudido públicamente este ‘gran oportunidad en Europa’  para especular o simplemente recoger alquileres para siempre.

Por otro lado, el nuevo gobierno semi-socialista ha introducido una ley para frenar la espiral de precios de los alquileres.

(ver también.. Medio millón de ejecuciones hipotecarias desde el estallido de la crisis …)

Como advirtió la Fundación Española de Cajas de Ahorros (FUNCAS),’‘ los fondos de capital privado con grandes inversiones han empezado a preocuparse de que muchas familias españolas, que se ganan la vida con trabajos mal pagados, sin seguridad, sean incapaces de pagar las altas rentas de hoy. Muchos de los que no pueden pagar ya han sido desalojados de los apartamentos que son propiedad de los fondos.”.

Continue reading “El Huerto Okupado contra el Buitre más Malvado del Mundo ..”