A COMMUNITY of campervan dwellers has been told to leave the Andalucian area they are parked at, but are fighting back by asserting they have no other housing options.
A coastal neighbourhood in Carretera de Cadiz is posed to face around 60-70 evictions for people living on a caravan settlement.
The ejection comes as a direct order from the Malaga City Council, who claim those residing on the land have created issues of waste, nighttime bonfires, noise complaints and discharging wastewater into the sea.
Under the notice given by the local municipality, today, July 7, is the final day for the group of people living in their cars and vans to vacate the premises.
Local police put up signs to notify the members they need to remove themselves and their belongings to allow for cleaning and sanitation purposes.
However, the small community living on the encampment have made their desire to fight clear, stating that they will not leave.
The group called ‘A Roof is a Right’ filed a petition on Monday through the Duty Court of Malaga to try and stop the eviction from going through.
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“The only thing I have is my caravan, it’s all I have,” said 54-year-old Angel Gonzalez, a member of encampments for 14 years.
Gonzalez’s story, along with the other 140 people said to live and work in the area, outlines the reality of living conditions in Sacaba.
The encampment sits just one street over from luxury apartments selling for over €2 million.
“We’re not here by choice either. We’d also like to live in an apartment, but due to circumstances, we can’t.”
Communication of the eviction is being called an injustice, with the notice announced via press and with only three days of a warning. There was also no official court order.
In response to the allegations of cited problems, the caravan community argue that they have made the land’s conditions better, partaking in weekly clean-ups and claiming to rid the area of any potential crime.
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On the other hand, residents of the Sacaba Federation have been complaining about the caravan settlement for years.
The federation supports the eviction notice and asks that the land be put to new use by the municipality.
But the community, who says they are like one big family, plan to ‘fight peacefully’ by organising themselves in a paved area to allow access for the municipal cleaning crews while still doing what they can to protect themselves from a total eviction.
There are some people who left the site already, moving on to Guadalmar.
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Another settlement member says he believes the land ‘is a free space for all the people of Malaga, it always has been.’
The most recent confrontation between the local government and people trying to live in the popular Andalucia area reflects the increasing issue of housing prices.
“This space has nothing to do with the city model the mayor envisions and reflects a stark reality: the lack of housing.”
In some cases, this lack of housing has created a black market where people sublet vans for €400 a month.
The Red Cross released data earlier this year showing that the number of homelessness in Malaga has doubled in the last two years.
Members of the community have called for a demonstration beginning at 7am to prevent authorities from towing their vehicles.
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