Rosa Dávila attributes responsibility for the Arona mass eviction to PSOE, but is reminded that “CC ruled alongside PP for a year”

The President of the Cabildo of Tenerife, Rosa Dávila, stated on Wednesday that the events that took place on Tuesday during the eviction of the Chasna building in Costa del Silencio, Arona, were “terrible”. She blamed Jose Julián Mena (PSOE), the former mayor of Arona, for being aware of the eviction but failing to inform Social Services “of the imminent situation”. In response, the Socialist Party pointed out to Canarias Ahora that “CC and PP have been in power for a year in Arona and the Cabildo, and have done nothing to ensure that 200 people are not left homeless.”

“The stance of the Socialist Party – now proposing to the municipal government group to expropriate unfinished buildings and reconsider declaring Arona a stressed area – seems hypocritical to me, and a terrible oversight from those who were in power back then, especially considering the impact on so many families,” stated Rosa Dávila.

The President of the Cabildo of Tenerife mentioned that the island institution is ready to assist the Arona City Council by offering “varied solutions” to address a problem that affects “more situations in this municipality.”

Dávila stated that the judicial eviction order issued by Court of First Instance number 3 of Arona “must be respected” due to the “risk situation”, but could have been handled differently if the former mayor had brought it to light.

“It likely would have been handled differently if the socialist mayor in 2021 had raised this issue to the council’s political groups and Social Services, also allowing the then Socialist island president, Pedro Martín, to take action,” she stated.

The Vice President and Advisor of the Cabildo of Tenerife, Lope Afonso, expressed that the island Government is fully committed to assisting Arona with material, human, and financial resources to help alleviate the problems faced by those affected. He also emphasized that the judicial decision was made based on “security concerns.”

He mentioned that among the measures the Cabildo can implement, related to the issue of housing access, is to continue promoting the availability of more housing on the market so that there are “more opportunities for families with vulnerable backgrounds.”

The eviction of 90 families from the Chasna building in Costa del Silencio (Arona) occurred this Tuesday, following the decision of Court of First Instance number 3 of Arona due to the building’s structural weakness (aluminosis) and risk of collapse.

In total, over 200 individuals, including the elderly, the unwell, pregnant women, and people with disabilities, were evicted from 44 homes in blocks 8 and 10 of the same property, which had been left unfinished for several decades.

ThePSOE in Arona has stated that during its governance, they took action by issuing an order for the conservation duty to the property owner. They have pointed out that the eviction was commanded weeks ago, “while CC and PP have been in power for a year in Arona and the Cabildo, and they have failed to address the issue of 200 homeless individuals”.

“The attention is being diverted,” “How is it acceptable that they have allowed these people to remain on the streets? It has been a year of governance by PP and CC, and it is now time for them to acknowledge their responsibility, to provide care for the individuals who have been recently evicted, not one, two, or three years ago,” they state.

The socialist councillor in Arona City Council, Raquel García, has urged both the president of the Cabildo, Rosa Dávila, and the mayor, Fátima Lemes, “to take on the responsibility they were entrusted with, after nearly a year of leading their respective institutions,” instead of repeatedly attempting to shift blame to the Socialist Party. The party, as mentioned in a press release, has demonstrated a different approach in dealing with humanitarian crises, such as the collapse of the Julián José de Los Cristianos building or the establishment of a field hospital during the mandatory pandemic lockdown for homeless individuals.

PSOE in Arona highlighted the case of the planned eviction of the Aloe de El Fraile building, referring to it as “particularly severe,” a public building that “was sold by the CC Government to a private fund.” Nevertheless, under the leadership of PSOE at the Arona City Council, they managed to have it repurchased, ensuring the families could stay in their homes.

Raquel García stressed that even though the building had been abandoned for decades, “the socialist government group was the only one that took action, initiating proceedings to hold the owners accountable for their duty of conservation, as they are obligated to maintain it in good condition.” However, she emphasized that the eviction order and its execution occurred with no action from the municipal or island institutions.

The mayor pointed out that during last summer’s fires, “the council activated a municipal pavilion to shelter affected animals without any report or technical file.” She added, “Yet now, the same opportunity given to animals is being denied to people.”

The PSOE spokesperson in Arona, José Julián Mena, urged the City Council on Monday to implement “extraordinary” measures to prevent the eviction, which eventually took place on the agreed Tuesday. He proposed actions such as expropriation or acquisition of unfinished buildings.

Mena also called on the municipal government group (Popular Party, Canarian Coalition, and More for Arona) to reconsider their refusal to process the municipality’s declaration as a stressed area from a rental perspective given the “critical” situation unfolding with this eviction.

Mena criticized the government group and Mayor Fátima Lemes for their “lack of empathy” towards the imminent situation where 90 families with dependent minors “will be left to sleep on the beach while [the politicians] vote against designating Arona as a stressed area, despite being in a severe housing crisis.”