Eibar Youth Center Eviction: Accusations Against Ertzaintza, City Council, and Amenabar Company

Youth center members denounced police conduct, municipal complicity, and the construction company's speculation following the eviction.

Photograph of a group of young people in front of a youth center holding protest signs.
IA

Photograph of a group of young people in front of a youth center holding protest signs.

Last Friday, members of the Eibar Youth Center held a press conference regarding the eviction on May 21st, to present their accusations against the Ertzaintza, the Eibar City Council, and the Amenabar company.

On the morning of May 21st, the Ertzaintza, following an order from the Eibar Court, evicted the youth center. Members reported that they received no prior notification. They stated that when the eviction began, access was blocked for anyone attempting to enter, including residents. After speaking with the officer in charge, only three individuals were allowed to enter to retrieve belongings, "two girls and one boy," exclusively in Spanish. Furthermore, during the early morning hours, the police identified four people and issued a fine to one.
During the press conference on June 5th, youth center members criticized the Ertzaintza, the City Council, and the Amenabar company. They accused the council of not wanting a "socially and politically committed space" and of leaving no room for self-management in this "corrupt model of a town." They also reproached the Ertzaintza for alleged violence, constant harassment, and using "only Spanish."
Youth center members have long warned that the eviction is driven by the construction company Amenabar and the city council. They allege that Amenabar owns 60-70% of the neighborhood surrounding the youth center and that the council, in close collaboration with the company, is promoting a "modernization" plan for the area, which the youth describe as a speculation scheme.
At the press conference, they lamented that the "executors of most public and private works in Eibar are the same," and emphasized that "once again" it has become clear "who holds power in Eibar, and what many others fear."