Shame on Spain Making Solidarity a Crime - Putting Activists who Fight Evictions Behind Bars

On 28 June 2021, Jaime Palomera, a tenants union leader in  Barcelona and two tenants were brought to trial by the Public Prosecutor and now face three years imprisonment. Their crime?  Peacefully and successfully protesting violations of the tenants’ right to housing including exorbitant rent increases and uninhabitable housing conditions.  Dr. Zaida Muxi Martinez; architect, city planner, and author joins the Filmmaker and the Advocate this week to discuss the clampdown on activism in Spain, echoes of its dark past.  The trio discuss the political power held by the richest families in Spain who dominate the real estate market and their ability to shut down threats to their power such as the successful tenant's movement headed by Palomera.  How is it possible that Spain, a country in the European Union can so blatantly infringe the right to peaceful assembly and protest? Is Spain an outlier or is this a global pattern?See: The Shift's Letter of Concern sent to the Government of Spain. Produced by WG Film Recorded & Edited by Mikey JonesMusic by Florencia Di ConcilioSocial Media & Support - Maja MobergSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/pushbacktalks)Support the show

Om Podcasten

Cities are becoming increasingly unliveable for most people. Costs are rising but incomes are not. Sky-high rents, evictions, homelessness, and substandard housing are common realities for urban dwellers across the planet. There is a global housing crisis. How did this basic human right get so lost? Who is pushing people out of their homes and cities, and what’s being done to pushback? 

On the heels of the release of the award-winning documentary, PUSH, filmmaker, Fredrik Gertten and Leilani Farha, the former UN Special Rapporteur on the right to housing, have reconvened. Join the filmmaker and the advocate as they reflect on their experiences making PUSH and exchange ideas and stories about the film's central issue: the financialization of housing and its fall-out. 

For more about PUSH and to view it:  www.pushthefilm.com 

For more about Fredrik Gertten and his other films: www.wgfilm.com

For more about Leilani Farha in her new role, Global Director of The Shift: www.make-the-shift.org