“I was born in Madrid. How would I imagine that I was going to receive such a prize?” Activist Rosa García received the 2019 Golden Drum excited. She is the spokesperson for the Stop Evictions platform, to which she has collected the prize on her behalf. Since 2015 he has shared with his colleagues the difficulties and successes of the struggle for the right to housing. He states that Donostia is committed to rights: “We have felt our support for the protests we have made to the financial institutions. The city is planned for tourism, but it has its side B, a city full of commitments. That the right to decent housing should not be an impossible mission.” He warns that the bubble is inflating very dangerous, that of the reckless rents: “With the salaries of EUR 1 000 it is impossible. We are the city with the most expensive square meter and now we have the most expensive rental price.” He has underlined the measures to address this problem: measuring and limiting the tourist use of housing, limiting rent prices, mobilising empty housing… “We cannot allow a 21st century city to suffer from this housing crisis. Many people are living the same as in the post-war period.”

The mayor, Eneko Goia, has highlighted that this year’s Oro drum is special: “He’s not a famous person, and I’m convinced he never wants to be known. She is an exceptional, fighting, committed, supportive, altruistic woman with an open, tireless, working hand. With your work you have managed to focus on people who are going wrong. That's also Donostia. On behalf of the entire City Hall, we would like to thank you for the work you have done on the platform you represent. Thanks to your sensitivity we have known the grave situation of many people. It’s our duty to stand alongside people who are having a bad time.”

During the event, a member of the Stop Evictions platform also took the floor. Javier Hernáez, member of the collective and parish priest of Altza and Larratxo, has dedicated some beautiful words: “This city is full of hummingbirds. They're small, colorful birds. Every second makes 80 flights. But in this city, there are lions as well. Rosa is a hummingbird. Rosa García is a small and strong woman. He goes and comes with his strong flight. Take water with the peak to turn the fire off. The president of BBVA has stated that it has been necessary to extinguish the flames by telephone tapping. The US president, who charges EUR 15,800 a day, said giving the minimum wage is "slowing down the country's economy." The forest is on fire, and as everyone runs to save themselves, hummingbirds drink water to extinguish the fire. Is it enough to extinguish the fire? No, but Rosa does her homework. It's lucky to live in a city full of hummingbirds. It's part of a colorful collective. Through solidarity he works for a more just city.”

During the event, a video was shown reminiscent of Rosa García's career as an actress. Her daughter, Lorea Elizalde, explains that she has participated in various social movements since her youth: In the struggle of the workers, in the associations of neighbors, in the feminist movement… and in recent years, since retirement, on the Stop Evictions platform. Several members have explained how the Gipuzkoan platform was created. The M15 movement broke the fight for the right to decent housing and so several associations emerged. The video also involved people with difficulties in paying for housing and having to be evicted, as reported by the Basque Government. They have made their grave situation known and have greatly appreciated the work of Stop Evictions.

This news was posted by Irutxuloko Hitza and we brought it to ARGIA thanks to the CC license.