Thousands of port lights have filled the streets on the first of November to demand the acquittal of nine young people from the town. The nine young people, members of the Gaztetxe Sastraka of Portugalete, will be tried on November 5 at the Barakaldo Court for an alleged crime of gender violence.

The members of the Gaztetxe affirm that they want to “criminalize and punish” the okupación movement and that the judgment against the nine youths is “a judgment to a worldwide collective conception and struggle”, “what happens in Euskal Herria and throughout the world”.

The members of the Gaztetxe Sastraka state that “it has managed to offer a collective space” to the citizens of Portugalete and reaffirm that it has created a political and cultural alternative “outside the logic of capitalism”. Thus, as explained by the members of the Gaztetxe, they intend to criminalize the occupation movement “for having liberated for four years a building that intended to divert it to its destruction of hands and have given it a new life”.

Txirbilenea also at risk

The demonstration started from the metro entrance of Portugalete, Carlos VII, and in addition to asking for the acquittal of Sastraka members opposed the eviction of Txirbilenea Kulturgunea. Txirbilenea is an occupied cultural space and its members reported that on 30 October the mayor of the PNV of Sestao moved a note to evict the building within a maximum of five working days. Currently, they collaborate with the Feminist Migrated Women group and have denounced that on the first floor of the building 16 migrated women living in community housing will be left homeless. In the face of this they call for solidarity and support to say no to eviction and that they are not alone.