Property Repossession Protests
September 26th, 2011
Protesters gathered in towns and cities across Spain yesterday to call for the suspension of home repossessions and for home ownership to be a basic right rather than a business.
Among the demonstrators were members of the 15-M movement, the Plataforma de Afectados por las Hipotecas (‘platform for mortgage victims’ and the Democracia Real Ya association.
Most of the marches took place in the region 18.00hrs, with the leading one being in Madrid, starting from the Bank of Spain in the Plaza de Cibeles, a gathering that attracted in the region 500 participants.
They carried banners calling for ‘no more families on the street’ and chanted allegations against bank bosses that they burst the housing bubble.
Protestors point out that the Spanish constitution includes the basic right to decent housing and say mortgage-providers have been taking advantage of homeowners by providing unrealistically high valuations.
They add that millions of people affected by either repossession or the threat of it in Spain, have lost their jobs and are unable to find another.
According to the Reader, demonstrators argue that if a homeowner hands back their property or has it repossessed, this should cancel out the mortgage debt in its entirety, rather than the now-homeless owner being forced to pay the deficit, despite having no income.
They add that if the bank gets its hands on repossessed property, they should use it as social housing for those who have no income or money to rent anywhere.
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