Jon Clarke (Publisher & Editor)HUNDREDS of expatriates have marched through the streets of Almeria city in protest against the pending demolition orders.
Dubbed ‘The March of the Innocent’ campaigners came from as far afield as Valencia.
‘They don’t have a home, they don’t have compensation’.
Led by Helen and Leonard Prior – whose Vera home was pulled down two years ago – the demonstration voiced its anger against the eight demolition orders served against British homes in Albox and Vera.
From his wheelchair, Leonard brandished a photo of his house being demolished with the caption ‘They don’t have a home, they don’t have compensation’.
At least five families insist they had no idea their homes were illegal.
The protest – organised by pressure group Abusos Urbanisticos del Almanzora No – brought traffic to a standstill for more than an hour.
AUAN president, Maura Hillen explained that the protest was aimed at solving “a very bad situation for which the town halls and the Junta were to blame”.
However, Junta official Luis Caparros insisted that the Junta “has no authority to stop the demolitions, as they are firm sentences from the judge which have to be respected”.
The Almanzora district has an estimated 11,000 illegal homes.
You write that ´The Junta has no authority to stop the demolitions.´
Is the Junta not responsible for employing and overseeing Town Hall staff who have been negligent or corrupt in the first place by issuing illegal licences? How did it miss all these (nearly)quarter of a million properties in the south of Spain if its was doing its job?
The ´firm sentences which have to be respected…´respected by whom?
The incompetence at best, or corruption at worst is so blatant that no self-respecting judge or judicial system could seriously impose these sentences without challenging the origins of the infractions.
How could Almanzora have 11,000 illegal homes if paid officials had been doing their jobs?
Let the courts indict these people who have caused the infractions of the law in the first place and not the casualties of Town Hall, promotors or Lawyers´ irresponsibility.
If the Spanish Legal System were to be subject to the terms of Consumer Laws (which are consituted to protect citizens against faulty or fraudulent products ) it would be discredited, fined and trashed within days.
And that would be real Justice.
This sort of thing starts civil wars. The last troubles in N.I. started off over housing disputes. When the state starts to act like a bunch gangster with the courts in their pockets, what way left is there?
Living in the Costa Blanca been now fighting the illegal homes for 3 years.now the MEPs in European Parliment all British MEPs 72 .are giving their full support and help.Need all the names of the Victims to help fight for them and to get them a big Compansation.to fight this scam they call it going on in spain.i have lots of Attachments from them i could send you.also from Matra Andreasen.who is helping as well.We are fighting the Spanish Solicitors and Notary who knowing Sign and Stamp the Deeds of illagally built Properies to sale them to British old age Pensioners who know nothing of this scam going on.Lawyers have told me if a Solicitor or Notary take your money to check out a property on your behalf they must give you the full results.so that you wont buy a illegal house,.and if they go a head and Sign the Deeds of a illegal property this is fraud.they should never Sign any thing which is illegal.illegally biult Properties should not be allowed to be sold.if you can give me your email address i can send you all the attachments you like whch i know would help you.the life in Spain Magazine is taking it up this week.we must do some thing to help our own people being treated this way, after all these same people their pensions are comming into spain is helping Spain with their recession.Lose that and spain is lost.have attachments from eu on this as well. PLEASE REPLY.