Bilbao residents stop eviction of woman and three children

AZET housing unions and families from Mujika school in Bilbao successfully halted a temporary eviction of a woman and her three children.

The woman, Mamassa, lives in a public housing unit in the Atxuri neighborhood with her children, who are 2, 6, and 16 years old. The housing unit belongs to a relative of the family, and the family has been unable to transfer the contract into their own names.

AZET claims the Bilbao City Council refused to acknowledge the family's situation or take steps to find a permanent solution. The unions and families have demanded that the city council take actions to regularize the family's living situation so they can remain in the home. They argue that the housing crisis in the Basque Country is becoming more severe, affecting families who struggle to pay rent and mortgages or who face poor working conditions.

They also blame the government for creating laws that allow for housing speculation and for failing to protect migrant and racialized women from these issues. Families from Mujika school expressed concern that the housing crisis negatively impacts the quality of education for children living in poverty. They called for a collective response from the educational community to address social injustice. The group plans to participate in a general strike on Wednesday to protest these conditions.