By Mason Jones

UP to 500 members of the Andalucian Workers Union (SAT), led by ‘Robin Hood’ mayor Gordillo, have vacated a Cordoba palace after an eight hour sit-in.

The occupants spent the night in the Moratalla Palace in Hornachuelos without incident.

They left first thing in the morning of their own accord, just as the owner was preparing to issue an eviction order.

This marks the second stage of the union’s march across Andalucia following a stint in the province of Jaen.

The protest is part of a wider movement against cutbacks from Madrid, which has seen demonstrators march from Jodar, the town with the highest unemployment rate in Andalucia.

Juan Manuel Sanchez Gordillo hopes the action will encourage other town halls to reject spending restrictions imposed on them.

He told the Olive Press: “We, the people, have to pay for the debts the banks made.

“We have to refuse to pay this debt, because it is not legitimate.

“Pay checks are cut, pensions are cut, people are being made redundant and in the meantime, the prices of electricity and the VAT go up,” he added.

“This crisis has its own hangmen and those are the bankers. Well, I say; let’s throw them in jail now for the destruction of so many lives, for stealing and robbing.

“No jail is too good for them, we should just hang them.”

Gordillo made headlines earlier this month after encouraging union workers to ‘steal’ food from supermarkets to donate to the regions poorest families.

The action led to seven arrests but earned Gordillo the nickname of ‘Spain’s Robin Hood’.

“There are people who don’t have enough to eat. In the 21st century, this is an absolute disgrace,” Gordillo said.

“We want an employment plan, the use of under-utilised public land, and a basic income for 350,000 families here in Andalucia.”

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6 COMMENTS

  1. This man is showing, quite rightly in my view that the rule of law will only prevail in a democracy so long as the electorate are rewarded with just and fair governance. With all main stream parties entirely moribund, lacking either credible political solutions or seemingly any kind of honour or will to do the right thing, then the only choice left for an increasingly discontent population of starving homeless people is some form of revolution. I wonder if they will call it the Spanish spring. (History also shows in these situations that foreigners are always made scapegoats so get your tin hats out)

  2. Well if they carry on the way they are doing, the government I mean, any thing is possible if pushed hard enough. The 400 euros subsistance allowance granted them by the Zapatero government for the the long term unemployed which the present government were coerced into restoring has been increased to 450 to those with larger families, but guess where the extra 50 euros seems to be coming from? The long termed unemployed who are living with Dad and Mum! Guess Mum and Dad will be lumbered with having to pay for their son’s and daughter’s food, clothes and some pocketmoney to have a “chico” of beer at weekends from their soon to be chopped pensions, from which they have to pay the medicines now which used to be free before. Quite a merry go round.

  3. Regional politicians should be responsible for their regions and that should include collecting revenues. Collect the money yourselves then tell us the cutbacks are unnecessarily harsh. It’s ridiculous that politicians can spend money however they want here and then blame someone else for not having the next payment when they put there hands out for the next splurge. Sure there are good politicians here, of course there are, but that’s only because in Spain we have more per head than anyone else in Europe! There has to be a few good apples in any barrel but the majority are self-serving demagogues like politicians everywhere.

  4. People from outside Spain want this country dismantled into pieces. We welcome them as expats, but they come as spies and sabotage our industry, tourism, culture and the overall economy. It is a shame we people of Spain allow this to happen. Down with external banksters, Spain must have more authority.

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