In a manifesto, the members of the Association stated that the objectives they pursued with the occupation of the premises on 1 May were as follows: “On the one hand, to take steps to build the counterpart and revolutionary process of the Basque Worker People, and on the other, to carry out various activities, generating an alternative to the turistification and privatization of the spaces that the city suffers, and extending the ideological struggle”.

As you have explained, during this time they have been in the Kantauri space, we must highlight the “insults, threats and recordings” they have heard from the owners. They have denounced that since they occupied the space, they have had the Ertzaintza at the door almost every day, “asking that the people inside be identified, threatening fines and recording and controlling the members who participated in the space at all times.”

Acquitted at trial

As for the judicial process, Urrats explained that a trial took place within a few days of the occupation of the space. They were acquitted for lack of evidence. “From there, although we have been waiting for a new trial, it has not stopped offering an alternative to people who have the need for a political space and their desire to ideologize and weave networks,” they explained. In recent months, several conferences, projections, round tables and book presentations have been held, among others.

The eviction occurred last Saturday, when the owner entered the space and closed the access doors to the area. The occupants tried to recover the space again, but the presence of the owners and the presence of the Ertzaintza prevented them from accessing it. “Thus, despite the fact that the Kantauri space was presented as a political alternative, in this city oriented towards privatization and consumption, the owner has again speculated with this and limited it to the business,” they denounced.

In the opinion of the proceedings, this eviction should be understood as “an attack on the Basque Working People”. “It is imperative that, in the face of the oppression we suffer, we train, debate and create the political organisational frameworks necessary to overcome it,” they said. However, they have pointed out that the Kantauri road does not end here and that they will continue to create spaces of this nature “as long as the Basque Working People continue to suffer oppression”.