Okupas in Barcelona

[Grimace]

http://www.20minutos.es/noticia/696722/0/casa/okupada/deshabitada/

So this woman in Barcelona has an empty house for a while because she's selling it. Meanwhile, a few people take the opportunity to break in, change the locks and decide to make it their dwelling. So what do you do in this situation? Call the police, prove you're the true owner, report the crime and have them kicked out the same day? Not in Spain. They're still living there and can't be shifted until a judicial order (which could take God knows how long) is produced to order their eviction.

I just don't understand the laws in this country . . .

[yunouguaramin]

http://www.20minutos.es/noticia/696722/0/casa/okupada/deshabitada/

So this woman in Barcelona has an empty house for a while because she's selling it. Meanwhile, a few people take the opportunity to break in, change the locks and decide to make it their dwelling. So what do you do in this situation? Call the police, prove you're the true owner, report the crime and have them kicked out the same day? Not in Spain. They're still living there and can't be shifted until a judicial order (which could take God knows how long) is produced to order their eviction.

I just don't understand the laws in this country . . .
Entenderlas tampoco las entendemos, pero las padecemos la mar de bien.
Los que entienden y aprecian estas leyes son los delincuentes, los jueces garantistas y los políticos que solo ven problema en la 'injusticia social' de un sistema social 'excluyente', no en la delincuencia ni en los delincuentes.
Para toda esta gente las víctimas de la delincuencia son solo 'daños colaterales', que se le va a hacer.

Pero bueno, yo asumía que este era un problema generalizado en todo el occidente 'civilizado' y 'socialmente avanzado'.

[Legazpi]

http://www.20minutos.es/noticia/696722/0/casa/okupada/deshabitada/

So this woman in Barcelona has an empty house for a while because she's selling it. Meanwhile, a few people take the opportunity to break in, change the locks and decide to make it their dwelling. So what do you do in this situation? Call the police, prove you're the true owner, report the crime and have them kicked out the same day? Not in Spain. They're still living there and can't be shifted until a judicial order (which could take God knows how long) is produced to order their eviction.

I just don't understand the laws in this country . . .

AFAIK the law is no different in the UK

[Grimace]

AFAIK the law is no different in the UK

I spoke about the story with the mother of one of my private students a while back. She told me that the scenario wasn't unique to Spain and that the same thing occurred in the UK, for example. She's a lawyer and said that if anything similar happened to her, she would simply eschew the legal system and pay a gang of thugs to boot the "tenants" out if she wanted fast results.

[Lorna G]

I spoke about the story with the mother of one of my private students a while back. She told me that the scenario wasn't unique to Spain and that the same thing occurred in the UK, for example. She's a lawyer and said that if anything similar happened to her, she would simply eschew the legal system and pay a gang of thugs to boot the "tenants" out if she wanted fast results.
It is worst in my country. Even idle lands are occupied by squatters in no time. As the lawyer friend of Grimace said the only way is to eschew the legal system etc. I am speaking from experience here. At the time of the land grabbing, we were not in the position eschew the legal system. My husband and I were newly married and we had no means to pay a gang of thugs to boot the squatters. Anyway, I believe in the saying that when God closes a door He opens a window. What we have now is definitely better than what we have lost.