Mossos d’Esquadra evicted the Ca l’Espina squat in Gràcia this Thursday morning. Six young people face charges for occupation and disobedience after officers cleared the building on Carrer Astúries, which had been occupied for five years.
Police had to free one woman who’d attached her arm to a concrete barrel and help another down from the facade, where she was hanging in a harness. Around 1:30pm, riot police removed three women and one man from the four-storey building after dismantling barricades the occupants had built.
However, the operation started with clashes. About 50 protesters gathered early to prevent the eviction, with another 100 joining from a pro-Palestine demonstration. Riot vans arrived at 9am, clearing planted barriers from the street whilst some masked protesters fled, moving rubbish bins to block roads.
The property owner, Bojous Immobiliària, showed up to deny being a vulture fund. Joan Fradera, who runs the family business with his wife and son, says they bought the building in 2019 from two sisters who’d left it empty for years.
Meanwhile, Fradera explained they planned to convert it into affordable rental flats. But whilst waiting for architectural plans, around 40 people occupied it. We called police, but they couldn’t do anything, he said.
The family managed to recover the ground floor and moved a relative in to monitor the squatters. That family member says around 10 people lived upstairs and made his life impossible.
Fradera’s company claims the occupants harassed them, spray-painting their office, smashing windows, and even turning up at their home. Right now, they’re hoping to finally renovate the building for its intended purpose.
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