Como académicos, activistas y defensores de la justicia urbana y de vivienda alrededor del mundo, estamos alarmados con la noticia de un juicio en España que amenaza con criminalizar las protestas en defensa de la vivienda.
Alpha Mikeliuna, Fran Ortega y Jaime Palomera se enfrentan a penas de cárcel por haber participado en acciones en defensa del derecho a la vivienda en Barcelona, una ciudad que ha visto aumentos desenfrenados de alquileres, hostigamiento contra inquilinos y otras prácticas abusivas del mercado inmobiliario. Alpha y Fran son inquilinos y activistas del Sindicato de Inquilinos, del cual Jaime es portavoz.
Los cargos en su contra fueron presentados en respuesta a su activismo en contra del propietario de Alpha y Fran, que a su vez es miembro de una de las familias más adineradas de España. Tras solicitar que su vivienda fuera mantenida conforme al estándar requerido por la ley Española y Catalana, Alpha y Fran fueron amenazados con desalojo. Después de una serie de acciones completamente pacíficas y tras presentar una denuncia con el apoyo del Sindicato de Inquilinos, el propietario recibió una multa de €180,000 por hostigamiento y negligencia. Mas tarde, un experto nombrado por el tribunal determinó que la vivienda de Alpha y Fran era de hecho inhabitable.
El trato del propietario hacia Alpha y Fran equivalía a una violación de sus derechos como inquilinos. Sin embargo, en lugar de apoyar su derecho a la protesta en defensa de una vivienda digna, el fiscal presentó una denuncia penal contra Alpha, Fran y Jaime.
Los abajo firmantes expresamos nuestra solidaridad con estos activistas. La demanda en su contra es un intento de silenciar la lucha en defensa del derecho a la vivienda. Si prevalece, tendrá un impacto desalentador para el futuro activismo de inquilinos. Por esta razón, solicitamos la suspensión inmediata del proceso penal y la desestimación de todos los cargos. Asimismo, instamos al gobierno Español a ratificar y proteger el derecho a la vivienda así como el derecho a luchar contra las injusticias en el ámbito inmobiliario.
David Madden, London School of Economics and Political Science. Autor del libro 'En defensa de la vivienda' (Capitán Swing)
Melissa Fernández Arrigoitia, Lancaster University
Leilani Farha, The Shift, and former UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Housing
Raquel Rolnik, Universidade de São Paulo and former UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Housing
Diarmaid Ward, Deputy Leader and Executive Member for Housing and Development, London Borough of Islington
Tricia Clarke, Labour councillor for the London Borough of Islington
Saskia Sassen, Columbia University
Tom Dyckhoff, journalist, Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts and University College London
Erik Swyngedouw, University of Manchester
Margit Mayer, Technische Universität Berlin
Ananya Roy, University of California, Los Angeles
Glyn Robbins, housing campaigner
Oren Yiftachel, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
Oksana Mironova, Community Service Society of New York
Arie van Wijngaarden, Municipality of Amsterdam
Michael Edwards, University College London
Danny Dorling, University of Oxford
Anna Minton, University of East London
Loretta Lees, University of Leicester
Imogen Tyler, Lancaster University
Tom Slater, University of Edinburgh
Sam Stein, Planners Network
Michele Lancione, Polytechnic of Turin
Dallas Rogers, University of Sydney
Philip Lawton, Trinity College Dublin
Alex Rhys-Taylor, Goldsmiths
Andrej Holm, Humboldt University Berlin
Sharon Zukin, Brooklyn College and Graduate Center, City University of New York
Markus Kip, Universität Jena
Oli Mould, Royal Holloway, University of London
Kanishka Goonewardena, University of Toronto
Akira Drake Rodriguez, University of Pennsylvania
Adrian Lahoud, Royal College of Art
Daniel Aldana Cohen, University of California, Berkeley
Kurt Iveson, University of Sydney
David Hulchanski, University of Toronto
Emilly Renaud, Canada Without Poverty
Penny Gurstein, University of British Columbia
David Kelly, RMIT University and Renters and Housing Union
Andrea Gibbons, University of Salford
Daniela Del Bene, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona
Andréanne Breton-Carbonneau, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona
Francesc Baró, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona
Sarah Bretschko, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona
Austin Matheney, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona
Margarita Triguero-Mas, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona
Filka Sekulova, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona
Laura Jiménez, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona
Julia Neidig, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona
Panagiota Kotsila, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona
Amalia Calderón Argelich, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona
Isabelle Anguelovski, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona
Melissa García-Lamarca, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona
Ana Novoa Pardo, Housing and Health Group, Barcelona Public Health Agency
Anna Fernández Sánchez, Housing and Health Group, Barcelona Public Health Agency
Catherine Pérez, Housing and Health Group, Barcelona Public Health Agency
Constanza Vásquez Vera, Housing and Health Group, Barcelona Public Health Agency
Esther Sánchez Ledesma, Housing and Health Group, Barcelona Public Health Agency
Hugo Vásquez Vera, Housing and Health Group, Barcelona Public Health Agency
Juli Carrere, Housing and Health Group, Barcelona Public Health Agency
Laura Oliveras Puig, Housing and Health Group, Barcelona Public Health Agency
Daniel Fitzpatrick, Univeristy College London
Hyun Shin, London School of Economics and Political Science
Suzanne Hall, London School of Economics and Political Science
Rachel Faulkner-Gurstein, King’s College London
Debbie Humphry, Oxford Brookes University
Doug Thorpe, Left Unity
Morag Gillie, Islington Homes for All
Barbara Brayshay, Living Maps Network
Ruth London, Fuel Poverty Action
Arnold E Tarling, Independent Expert Witness in Housing Disrepair, Fire Safety, Building Construction
Wendy Taylor, Ilford Homeless Drop-In
Libby Kemp, Ealing Matters
Andrew Toye, Public & Commercial Services Union
Annelies Broekman, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona
Fabien Cante, University College London
Suzanne Muna, the Social Housing Action Campaign
Richard Hope, Community Plan for Holloway
Jenny Kassman, Islington Homes for All
Ashley Walker, Stockport United Against Austerity
Ross Beveridge, University of Glasgow
Antonis Vradis, St Andrews University
Adam Greenfield, urban researcher
Mark Still, National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers Union
Ben Clay, Greater Manchester Tenants Union
Andy Walsh, Greater Manchester Law Centre
Philipp Klaus, International Network for Urban Research and Action
Ana Vilenica, Radical Housing Journal and EAST - Essential Struggles Transnational
Michael McQuarrie, Arizona State University
Iván Tosics, Metropolitan Research Institute (Budapest)
Sena Aydin Bergfalk, Cornell University
Guy Crawford, University of Leeds
Jessica Adams, University of East London
Cian O’Callaghan, Trinity College Dublin
Tom Fry, University of Cambridge
Romola Sanyal, London School of Economics and Political Science
Simone Tulumello, University of Lisbon
Winifred Curran, DePaul University
William W. Goldsmith, Cornell University
Rachael Baker, Queen’s University (Ontario)
Anitra Nelson, Melbourne Sustainable Society Institute
Emma Ormerod, Newcastle University
Brian Rosa, Universitat Pompeu Fabra
Lisa Vollmer, Stadt von Unten Berlin
Pushpa Arabindoo, University College London
Jaime Jover, Graduate Center, City University of New York
Cristina Temenos, University of Manchester
Ananya Roy, University of California, Los Angeles
Dimitris Pettas, Technical University of Berlin
Sebastian Schipper, Goethe-University Frankfurt
Desiree Fields, University of California, Berkeley
Jakob Schleh, Leipzig University
Jacob Stringer, Queen Mary, University of London and London Renters Union
Gianpaolo Baiocchi, New York University
Terra Graziani, New York University
Erin McElroy, New York University
Alexander Krahmer, Helmholtzzentrum für Umweltforschung, Leipzig
Nik Heynen, University of Georgia
Claire Colomb, University College London
Bjarke Skærlund Risager, Roskilde University
Federico Venturini, University of Udine
Andrew Kent, Antipode: A Radical Journal of Geography
Margaretta Lin, University of California, Berkeley
Luis Trujillo, University of California, Riverside
Mariska Jung, Vrije Universiteit Brussel and De Nieuwe Meent
Dubravka Sekulic, Royal College of Architecture
Karen Kubey, Columbia University
Loren March, University of Toronto
Sonia Arbaci, University College London
Godofredo Pereira, Royal College of Art
Sophia Maalsen, University of Sydney
Nicole Gurran, University of Sydney
Cuz Potter, Korea University
Lorenzo Gabrielli, Universitat Pompeu Fabra
Helga Leitner, University of California, Los Angeles
Alistair Sisson, University of Wollongong
Hal Pawson, University of New South Wales
Kathleen Flanagan, University of Tasmania
Peta Wolifson, University of Sydney
Keith Jacobs, University of Tasmania
Sonia Roitman, University of Queensland
Eric Sheppard, University of California Los Angeles
Peter Phibbs, University of Sydney
Hazel Easthope, University of New South Wales
Hanna Hilbrandt, University of Zurich
Molly Ayton, Homes for All
Mirka Erier, Thünen-Institut für Marktanalyse
Michael Janoschka, Universität Leipzig
Georgia Alexandri, University of Leeds
Daniel Mullis, Peace Research Institute Frankfurt
Dominika V. Polanska, Uppsala University
Sophie Oldfield, University of Basel
Rowland Atkinson, University of Sheffield
Anne-Laure Amilhat Szary, Pacte Laboratoire de Sciences Sociales
Freya Higgins-Desbiolles, University of South Australia
Mara Ferreri, University of Northumbria
Jon Cloke, Social Energy System Consultants
Rabea Berfelde, Goldsmiths, University of London
Audrey Verma, Newcastle University
Luisa Gehriger, University of Zurich
Jacob Geuder, Verein Stadt für Alle Basel
Daniela Del Bene, Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona
Luís Mendes, Universidade de Lisboa
Camila Cociña, University College London
Richard Waldron, Queen’s University Belfast
Sarah Glynn
Faith MacNeil Taylor, Royal Holloway University of London
Eija Meriläinen, University College London
Robert Barbarino, TU Dortmund University
Tilman Hartley, Autonomous University of Barcelona
Aaron Vansintjan, Birkbeck College University of London
Mariana Galacini Bonadio, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro
Barbara Lipietz, University College London
Carla Maria Kayanan, University College Dublin
Ryan Centner, London School of Economics and Political Science
JP Sapinski, Université de Moncton
Noah Chasin, Columbia University
Norman Rantisi, Planners Network
Gareth Millington, University of York
Thomas Angotti, Hunter College and Graduate Center, City University of New York
Raktim Ray, University College London
Byron Miller, University of Calgary
Alexandra Gomes, London School of Economics and Political Science
Viv Crick, Middlesex University
Robert Crick, Middlesex University
Truus Jansen, housing activist
Fred Milson, Lambeth Homes For All
Sandy Broadhurst, Stockport Tenants Union and Stockport Labour Party
Louise Kendrick, Acorn Tenants Union
Anna Plyushteva, University of Oxford
Ute Lehrer, York University (Toronto)
Laura Colini, Tesserae Urban Social Research
Ashley Hernandez, University of California Irvine
Kosta Mathéy, International Academy Berlin
Kate Shaw, University of Melbourne
Matthias Bernt, Leibniz Institute for Research on Society and Space
Ines Schaber, Hochschule für Grafik und Buchkunst Leipzig and California Institute of the Arts
Luca Bertolini, University of Amsterdam
Pascal De Decker, KU Leuven
Jelke Bosma, University of Amsterdam
Myfanwy Taylor, University of Leeds
Christy Petropoulou, University of the Aegean
Emanuele Belotti, Università IUAV di Venezia
Catharina Thörn, University of Gothenburg
Jorge André Moreira, housing activist
Jannis Kühne, Instituto Universitário de Lisboa
Diego García-Mejuto, Newcastle University
Caitlin Buckle, University of Sydney
Ana Cordeiro Santos, University of Coimbra
Vanessa Melo, Universidade dos Açores
Rose Gilroy, Newcastle University
Ana Gago, Universidade de Lisboa
Francesco Biagi, Universidade de Lisboa
Wouter van Gent, Universiteit van Amsterdam
Rita Silva, Habita Association for the Right to Housing and the City
Frank Moulaert, KU Leuven
Jorge Malheiros, Universidade de Lisboa
Georgiana Varna, Newcastle University
Rowan Arundel, Universiteit van Amsterdam
Marco Allegra, Universidade de Lisboa
Eduardo Ascensão, Universidade de Lisboa
Chris Kesteloot, KU Leuven
Liette Gilbert, York University (Toronto)
Barbara Van Dyck, Coventry University
Abigail Schoneboom, Newcastle University
Tiago Mota Saraiva, architect and urbanist
Amanda Huron, University of the District of Columbia
Patrice Riemens
Arnold Reijndorp, Univesity of Amsterdam
Wilbert den Hoed, University of Strathclyde
Pauline Lipman, University of Illinois-Chicago
Keisha-Khan Perry, University of Pennsylvania
Jere Kuzmanić, University of Split
Virginie Mamadouh, University of Amsterdam
David Webb, Newcastle University
Giovanni Allegretti, Coimbra University
Sinéad Kelly, Maynooth University
Ioana Florea, Common Front for Housing Rights (Bucharest) and University of Gothenburg
Tino Buchholz, University of Stuttgart
Iacopo Zetti, Univesity of Florence
Marisela Gomez, Social Health Concepts and Practices
Carlo Cellamare, Sapienza Università di Roma
Yvonne Kunz, KITLV Royal Netherlands Institute for Southeast Asia and Caribbean Studies
Sara Brysch, Delft University of Technology
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