"At the moment we have halted eviction and will continue to defend the land"
- The oldest building in Berango (Casa-Torre Otxandategi) and the fertile grounds in its surroundings do not swallow housing businesses, the agroecological project Otxantegi Herri Lurra, known as resistance breakfast. At 8:30 40 citizens have placed the body in defense of the earth. Around 9:20, the Ertzaintza and the municipal police officers have come in contact with the judicial commission and have announced to the citizens that they will communicate a new day of eviction, arguing that at that time they had no means to do so. The members of Otxantegi Herri Lurra were pleased that they have so far stopped eviction and that they "will continue to defend the land".
One member of the Otxantegi Herri Lurra project has told ARGIA that about 40 people have met in the morning. "People have come from our environment who have participated in our initiatives, and that support is good for us." The tower house of Otxandategi, located in a high of Berango, was used defensively in the Middle Ages and its shield is today the shield of the villa. Today it has been the tower house and its lands that have protected these 40 citizens. In fact, the agroecological project Otxantegi Herri Lurra has announced that the Aguirre Lipperheide family, which owns a seventh of the Berango area, wants to exploit these 8 hectares of fertile soil for food production, with a profit of EUR 30 million. In order to cope with this "pelotazo" project, during these two years the members of Otxantegi Herri Lurra have joined the "defense of the land" by cultivating the common garden and the countryside.
The road that this morning leads to the Otxandategi tower has been hampered by neighbours bound by resistance. Meanwhile, other colleagues planted the void sitting inside the building and were also on the portal denouncing the eviction awaiting the banners in their hand. For their happiness, local police and attendant Ertzainas have come together with the Judicial Counsel to report the eviction notice and have told them that at the time of eviction they lacked resources and that eviction will be delayed another day and that they will be specified the date.
A member of the Otxantegi Public Land makes the following statements to ARGIA: "Ours is an ecological struggle, located in Uribe Kosta. Today we have stopped eviction and managed to delay it. It is a victory for popular movements in the valley and for self-management projects. We will continue to defend the land."
It was announced in the Egun on Euskadi programme of the Television Basque Country (4:55 minutes and 39:40 minutes).
The Hiruka media has followed up from here and in addition to the photos we bring to this article, has disseminated a member's statements on social networks:
Entrepreneurs are now able to stop eviction from Otxantegi @Otxantegi pic.twitter.com/uXAn3PqcC9
— Hiruka (@HirukEus) November 23, 2023
