The members of the Youth Assembly of the Gaztetxe in Vitoria-Gasteiz have announced the event at a press conference. According to reports, on Monday night, some thirty young people were gathered together “after violently breaking into the building, Municipal Police officers fined several young people and evicted the Gaztetxe.”

According to the youth, the police told them that they had received the call from the neighbors because “there were many young people gathered in the ‘unlicensed occupied area’. The Gaztetxe, which has developed over 30 years of political, cultural and social activity, has been defined as a ‘young market’.” The Local Police referred to health measures to explain their actions and informed those present that the prospective legal procedure is in the hands of the Basque Government.

Health "excuse"

First of all, the representatives of the Gazte Asanblada want to underline the messages they are making on this subject. First, they stressed that the health reasons mentioned by the local police "are excuses" and that the Gaztetxe implemented security measures long ago: “In the context of COVID-19, since the opening of the Gaztetxe we have maintained the health measures and have transferred these measures to all the groups that meet in it. Since the summer we have adopted personal and logistical hygiene measures and have designed a protocol for possible infections.” They have ensured that these measures were also being respected at the time of police entry: “We want to emphasize that the 30 people in the gaztetxe were gathered in several classrooms, maintaining the security measures according to the current protocol.”

On behalf of the health measures, they have stressed that it is known that these measures are being breached in other areas: “There are many union agents who have recently denounced the situation of vulnerability and the violation of health measures they are suffering in workplaces, educational centers and other spaces.”

Organisation and self-defence

Although they want to deny the Gaztetxe “political character”, they have denounced that the police intervention has a political objective: “Infantilization and criminalization of all organisational forms of youth. They want us relegated to productive work and the holiday model.” In the face of the deteriorating living conditions, “it is clear that any offensive and any political organization that calls into question the power of the State will be condemned and persecuted,” they said.

The members of the Gaztetxe have concluded the press conference calling for self-defence against harassment.