Teresa, Samuel and Sagrario, students of Casa Árabe, have mobilised over 300 people and collected 11,000 signatures against the eviction order from the Madrid City Council. The next protest will be on July 21 on Montalbán Street, coinciding with the municipal plenary session.
They are just three, but they have achieved what many fail to do in months: mobilise hundreds of people, unite the left in Madrid, and gather over 11,000 supporters in a petition. Teresa, Samuel and Sagrario, students of Casa Árabe, have launched the initiative 'Casa Árabe no se toca' to stop the eviction of the iconic Escuelas Aguirre building, ordered by the Madrid City Council.
The seed of a growing mobilization
The mayor, José Luis Martínez-Almeida, announced the decision last Monday during the Board of Trustees meeting. He justified the eviction by the “lamentable” management of Irene Lozano, former socialist MP, which led to the bankruptcy and abandonment of the building. The City Council has set a deadline until September 1 to vacate the property, which will be reclaimed for municipal use.
“When we found out, we said we had to do something,” says Teresa Medrano about the origin of the movement. After the first protest on Saturday in front of the Escuelas Aguirre, the group is now working on two fronts: mobilising students to attend the Villa Square on the 14th and 15th, coinciding with the municipal commissions where Más Madrid and PSOE will ask questions about the future of Casa Árabe.
The opposition joins the cause
Más Madrid will bring a question to the Culture Commission to find out if the area led by Marta Rivera de la Cruz has informed UNESCO of the decision to evict Casa Árabe from a municipal building that is part of the protected Landscape of Arts and Sciences. The socialists will ask the following day “what actions the Government Area of Works and Equipment plans to take” if the property is reverted.
“We will ask for the eviction of Casa Árabe to be halted and that any decision about its future be made through dialogue,” conveys council member Pedro Barrero. For him, Almeida cannot “use the deterioration” of the building to “justify a unilateral decision and fuel a new political confrontation with the Government.”
Next stop: Cibeles
In addition to attending Villa Square, the students have called for a gathering on the 21st at 9:00 AM on Montalbán Street, coinciding with the July municipal plenary session and the mayor's presence in Cibeles. The protest has already been communicated to the Government Delegation and aims, according to Medrano, for a moment of maximum political and media visibility.
While they try to gather support from students and local entities, they have also opened contacts with Más Madrid, PSOE, Podemos and PP. “We are giving our all because Casa Árabe is very important to us,” summarises Medrano, who advocates for the continuity of the institution at its current location and calls for giving the new director, Miguel Moro, a chance to relaunch the project.
Despite these movements, Almeida maintains his position. In statements made on Monday, the mayor stated that the City Council has not received “any formal communication” from UNESCO and that the eviction is proceeding. For the residents of Madrid, the question is clear: what will happen to Casa Árabe after September 1? For now, the answer lies in the streets.
