Concrete situations arise in specific locations and instances that, through various focuses, approaches, and amplified interests, appear to constitute societal norms, despite certain community protests holding validity and rationale. This scenario has been evident in recent weeks across areas such as El Toscal (Santa Cruz de Tenerife) and various spots in La Orotava, Puerto de la Cruz, and other towns across Tenerife in 2024 and previous years. Nevertheless, if we steer clear of the racist rhetoric often disseminated on a global scale by far-right groups and security enterprises, the issue of housing occupation should not, under any circumstances, rank among the primary social concerns in Spain, as police studies and statistics dismantle this notion quite explicitly.
Another matter is the societal perception that has been established, as it is quite likely that many residents, who in past years have expressed concern regarding properties being “squatted” and responded accordingly (with varying levels of expense), would have reconsidered or gained broader insight than a municipal report compiled by the local police, which illustrates that between 2023 and 2025, only two complaints were lodged for the “usurpation” of properties in a municipality housing a total of 75,000 residences.
This information was conveyed at last week’s Plenary by the Security Councillor of Aguere, the socialist Badel Albelo Hernández, before a perplexed assembly of Vox, a party that immediately associated this alleged social challenge as a “priority issue” with migration and young migrants who reach the age of 18 in the islands, indirectly attributing blame to Pedro Sánchez and the “goodness” perceived in the likes of Trump, Milei, Bolsonaro, Orbán, Le Pen, Meloni, and others. According to the Lagunera Police report, the rate of complaints related to housing usurpation, which essentially represents the wrongful appropriation of real estate (the very issue targeted by these narratives), constituted a mere 0.0027% of the total residences in the municipality. This figure clearly demonstrates that this can hardly be regarded, even remotely, as a primary concern, regardless of the overwhelming sentiment (fabricated, recreated, promoted, and manipulated) suggesting otherwise. Since January 2023, this analysis has recorded a total of 15 complaints related to this occupancy issue, but merely two pertained to the usurpation of property (13.7% of the total), while the remaining 13 (86.3%) were associated with behavioural complaints or disruptions caused by individuals occupying residences reported by other neighbours to the local police.
Furthermore, the officers involved in the study emphasise that these complaints are primarily concerning “abandoned” properties or those owned by large holders (banks, property development companies, etc.). These fifteen complaints correspond to only 0.02% of the overall complaints filed with the Local Police regarding any other issues, which does not constitute a figure that warrants, much less suggests, alarm or a rush to seek a security firm.
As per the councillor’s remarks during his reply to Vox in the plenary session, “that percentage indicates that a mere 0.2% of the homes are connected to any complaint, reinforcing the notion that occupation is not a considerable issue in our municipality.” He further highlighted the overall number of residences in Aguere: “The municipality boasts approximately 75,000 homes, crucial data for contextualising the phenomenon of occupation under scrutiny. The number of homes available within a municipality serves as a significant indicator for assessing the scale of any issues pertaining to what, once again, the right and far-right bring into this hall.”
“Data dispels the narrative”
In an interview with Canary Islands Now, the mayor expressed disappointment that, during the preceding plenary session, occupancy was solely tied to migration, assuming almost without question that the migrant minors (present in the town via existing reception centres or elsewhere on the island) would inevitably become Okupas. He emphasised the necessity to distinguish between legitimate squatters acting for valid reasons and those disparagingly referred to as “quinquis.” “Data dispels the narrative,” the mayor succinctly summarised.
“The occupation exists, but it is by no means a substantial or grave issue as portrayed by right-wing and far-right organisations,” asserts Badel Albelo. Additionally, when comparing these statistics to those provided by the National Police over similar years, the figures remain remarkably consistent, “with 23 complaints, although many relate to the act of occupying itself, that being, the usurpation of a home, but concerning individuals who have encroached upon a property and created a conflict, notwithstanding that most of these 23 complaints align with the 15 noted by the Local Police.” Once again, “Data dispels the narrative.”
