“I won’t leave until they leave.”

Xavier García Albiol avoided occupation in Badalona.As he himself explained on social networks.I won’t leave until they leave.“He said in the video he shared on Monday. The incident took place in the George area, where some people wanted to occupy a building and a group of neighbors were shouting at them. The mayor appeared to ease tensions and gave his word that they would “get out of here.”

“I’m not leaving here until these people leave,” he says, before entering the building “to talk to them” and closing it. “They’ll get out safe,” he adds. Just then, García Albiol enters the door amidst applause from neighbors and prepares to speak to people in an empty space. It’s impossible to know what they’re talking about, but you can see three men leave the space after the conversation. “Okay, the problem is solved,” the mayor shouts, earning another round of applause from about two dozen neighbors.

I warned the squatters that I would not leave until they left, and I would not leave until they left.

This afternoon, with the support of our neighbors, we were able to prevent the seizure of a building in the George neighborhood. As long as the laws continue to favor squatters, #Badalona the… pic.twitter.com/V1tJsvbMus

– Xavier Garcia Albiol (@Albiol_XG) July 22, 2024

Once the occupation is avoided, Albiol returns and sees what the people who were going to occupy it wanted to do with the electricity. “These are professionals,” he comments after seeing the ties they have made on the box. “Well, you saw it. Another occupation, an occupation that was well resolved, also thanks to the neighbors,” he concludes, before launching into another speech about the occupation: “This country is very shameful when it comes to occupation.” What is happening here does not happen in any European country, we have a law that protects squatters from neighbors and owners. But in Badalona we have a council against illegal occupation, and we have a very clear will and ideas to fight this cycle. We are happy that the neighbors contacted us immediately, unfortunately there are still occupations, but in Badalona there are more occupations that are happening. That is the goal and we will continue like this.

A few days ago, Albiol had already sent a letter to the head of the Spanish government, Pedro Sánchez, so that he could visit the city and see “firsthand the serious problem of illegal occupation of apartments and buildings”. “The reality we live in Badalona – and I know it in many other cities as well – does not match his statements,” he said.