The Canary Islands, like Spain in general, are on track for another year of tourism milestones in 2024. However, cracks, paradoxes, or contradictions in the economic model are becoming more apparent in various areas of the islands and the Spanish coast. This is particularly evident for the past two weeks in the final stretch of Costa del Silencio in Arona, right on the verge of the marina and the Amarilla Golf course in San Miguel de Abona.
The large-scale eviction that took place on the 12th of this month from the Chasna 8 building, located on the street of the same name and owned by the family that owns the marina and golf course (the Tavío), is already one of the most severe events in the history of the Canary Islands due to its social repercussions. 90 families, comprising a total of 210 individuals, including Ukrainian refugees, pregnant women, minors, elderly individuals with illnesses, and even employed individuals, had been residing in this property built in the 1970s for a maximum of 8 years. The building was never completed and had been abandoned during all this time. This eviction has not only garnered significant media attention but has also prompted discussions in the regional Parliament and sparked political debates between the government (CC-PP) and the opposition (PSOE) of the Cabildo of Tenerife and Arona City Council over the past two weeks.
Despite attempts to halt or delay the eviction through various appeals at Arona’s court number 3, the court dismissed the arguments put forth by the affected parties and upheld the local report from 2021 highlighting issues in the building and advising its eviction. However, the families contest that the situation of building number 8 is intertwined with building number 10 (“which are unrelated”) and question the lack of a comprehensive structural study of the buildings, as suggested by this “visual analysis” conducted three years ago.
AID FOR MINORS
The interim support measures implemented by the authorities in recent weeks have ensured that mothers with children have housing solutions and no child is left without a roof over their head. Minister of Public Works and Housing, Pablo Rodríguez (CC), announced in a regional plenary session last Tuesday that the Community offers the Prohogar program to the council to address this situation “and other evictions occurring in the Islands,” as stated by Rodríguez.
Despite these efforts, fifty individuals affected by the eviction, who have not yet found alternative housing through family, friends, or official channels, have chosen to camp near the building that was recently their home. They had carried out renovation works and installed solar panels to provide energy. They believe that the eviction notice was unjustified, unfair, and inconsistent in the current context of soaring property prices and unaffordable rents in the South of Tenerife, particularly in Adeje and Arona.
Adjacent to Chasna 8, the Chasna B building boasts three apartments displaying the popular VV (holiday rental) sign, a common sight in urban areas and city centers across the islands, indicating a scarcity of affordable housing options, as lamented by Antonella Alioti, a former mayor of Sí Podemos Arona. She has been a steadfast supporter of these families and has been crusading on the housing issue for years.
Despite the challenges, the determination of those 50 individuals from the Chasna 8 building is unwavering. Led by their spokesperson, Eloy Outerial Miniño, they are committed to pursuing legal recourse to clarify the circumstances surrounding the eviction. They have no intention of abandoning their makeshift camp, comprising vans, sheds, and awnings, even as the property is being fenced off with metal plates in compliance with the court’s decision.
FOUR LIVES UNITED BY A COMMON STRUGGLE
Eloy had been residing in building 8 for 5 years and was registered there. He works in construction in the nearby region of La Estrella and had renovated the apartment he occupied, installing solar panels that are now near his van at the encampment. Similarly, Juan José López from Madrid, who has been on the island for 17 years, works in a nearby butcher shop and was residing alone in the building due to financial constraints. He highlighted the exponential rise in rental prices and the lack of affordable housing options, expressing his frustration at the city council’s role in approving vacation rentals.
Also among the camp dwellers is the Pantsulaia family from Ukraine, comprising Mirian (75 years old), his wife Tamar Janiashvili (61), his daughter Hana Pantsulaia (47), and his grandson Stanislav Medvediev (29). The latter two hold official long-term refugee status due to the conflict in Ukraine and have been residing on the Island for two years. They await assistance from the Ukrainian embassy in Spain and are currently residing in a van next to a small hut.
Another resident of the camp is Jorge Morales González, a pensioner originally from Santa Cruz de Tenerife, who prefers not to spend nights at the campsite due to health concerns but spends his days with fellow evictees. Despite facing health challenges, Jorge, who resided in building 8 for two years, cannot afford his pension and has been staying in a coastal area among parked motorhomes. He emphasised the importance of the community’s contribution to the local economy and expressed disappointment in the lack of support from local authorities.
Whether within or outside building 8, at the current encampment or a potential new location following another eviction, these 50 resilient individuals share a common plight: the absence of a decent dwelling. They are determined to fight for their rights in court, aiming to transform their struggle into a beacon of change amidst the myriad contradictions encompassed within their limited space.
