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00:00:00 |
Antonio in the street with other neighbors tryingto
stop an eviction. |
“Sharon, you
are not alone.
We are with
you.” |
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00:00:16 |
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THIS LAST MONTHS, I HAVE HAD THE MISFORTUNE OF SEEING MANY
PEOPLE |
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BEING EVICTED. BECAUSE THEY |
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COULDN’TAFFORD TO PAY THEIR
RENT |
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OR HOUSING COSTS DUE TO THE CRISIS |
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IN SPAIN. |
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00:00:31 |
Antonio's conversation with other neighbors. |
I would
not like to see another eviction.I have seen
the door |
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breaking down, |
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the children crying.
I can't stand
that anymore. |
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00:00:41 |
Neighbors chanting |
"We will
not tolerate one more eviction” |
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00:00:49 |
Visual montage
with different evictions. |
"These are our weapons”. |
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00:00:59 |
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ALL OF US WHO LIVE IN RENTED HOUSINGHAVE BECOME INCREASINGLY |
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VULNERABLE. WE CANNOT AFFORD
IT. |
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WITHOUT A HOUSING LAW
TO STOP THIS, |
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WE FIND NO OTHER SOLUTION THAN THE |
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NEIGHBORHOOD STRUGGLE. |
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00:01:22 |
Stalled eviction of one of the neighbors. |
My eviction has been suspended for the time
being. I am very grateful for your |
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company, for your
resistance. |
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00:01:40 |
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I’D NEVER HAVE
IMAGINED THAT IN THE
FINAL STAGE OF MY LIFE I’D FIND |
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MYSELFIN A SITUATION WHERE
I |
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COULDN’T AFFORD
MY OWN HOUSING. |
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00:01:56 |
Images of alcorcon |
TEXT/TITLE: SPAIN HOUSING BATTLE |
00:02:03 |
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Text/Locator Antonio’s House Alcorcón Madrid suburb |
00:02:14 |
Antonio and Mari walking through their neighborhood. |
Mari and I have been together for 62 years. I had a comfortable life. I made a good living. But when the economic crises happened, some factories closed. So now I don't have a good pension. And now we're being threatened with eviction. |
00:02:43 |
Alcorcon’s facades |
Text card: Antonio and Mari face a 40% increase in rent The apartment is own by Blackstone the world’s largest commercial landlor. |
00:02:48 |
Assembly of the Tenants Union. |
Text locator: Tenant’s Union meeting |
00:02:52 |
Antonio speaking at the assembly of the Tenants Union |
When we received the first eviction notice my wife and I just stared at each other, thinking what should we do? I don't know about you but. I panicked, I felt helpless. Our first thought was, what can we live without? |
00:03:16 |
Antonio speaking at the assembly of theTenants Union |
And after meeting you guys… I feel more at peace. There's nothing better than that. The more of us there are, the more powerful the union will be and the more we’ll achieve. |
00:03:32 |
Rosa speaking at the assembly |
What you shouldn't do is leave your houses. And above all, don't stop paying [rent] because they can kick you out. Let's keep paying rent even if the contracts have expired because we want them renewed. |
00:03:44 |
Alberto speaking at the assembly |
Many of us have already managed to sign new contracts in the face of large rent increases and evictions. And thanks to the support of the union, we've been successful. |
00:04:02 |
Pablo speaking at the assembly |
Sometimes, we're not fully aware of the power we have. We're made up of 200 to 250 people who are Blackstone tenants. We have a real bombshell. |
00:04:15 |
Assembly of the Tenants Union. |
We started going to the union and we saw it as a lifesaver. I had no idea about anything. I didn't know what to do, whether I should hand over the keys and flee... And [the union] began to give me peace of mind. |
00:04:32 |
Alberto speaking at the assembly |
Firstly, we're going to put pressure on Blackstone. We've already started organising ourselves. We're also going to meet with MPs to pressure the government to approve the first housing law that makes property speculation illegal in Spain. |
00:04:56 |
Antonio and Mari at home having a cup of tea. |
- Antonio. -
What do you need Mari? -
Have you called
me? -
No, nothing. Sorry. -
I don't know
if I'm going to hell with that.
Look. Do you want some? -
Don’t open that.
Drink a tonic. -
No, I don't
listen to you.I am a rebel. -
Well, worse for you. |
00:05:25 |
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- Thank you so much,
handsome. -God bless
you. -Likewise. |
00:05:44 |
Alberto arrives at Antonio and Mari's house |
- Hello, Antonio. How are you? -
I’m fine. |
00:05:47 |
Conversation between Antonio, Mari
and Alberto in their kitchen. |
- You tell us, Alberto. - Well, tell me about the
situation. -To give you an idea of the
situation, we are absolutely lost. They are forcing us to pay abusive rises
in the rent, or to hand over the keys. Rents that are clearly going to be
unaffordable, not only for me, but for the rest of the neighbors. There are no
millionaires here, it's a working-class neighborhood. And I alreadypay 600 euros. I can't afford another increase, I am a pensioner. -So, how long
have you been living here? When you
entered, it wasa social housing, right? - Absolutely. Twenty two years.
It was built
in public land ceded by the local
municipality. Andwe found
that, there were some banners that said social housing. It
sounds so good, it sounds like you're protected. - So, it was in 2013 when the governmentsold these houses to
Blackstone? And Blackstone is now proposing
a rent increase of 30-40%? - This is the latest of many rises,the one that has put us on alert. -In the Tenants' Union. we are
trying to organize many neighbors to
negotiate collectively with Blackstone, because we know that 1 to 1 is very
difficult, but if we all go together we can achieve negociate, many people sufferthe
same, here and in the rest of Madrid.
So, we try to
organize ourselves all. |
00:07:24 |
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- I am very
afraid that all this tension will cause me a new heart
attack because I amnot well
right now, I am not well. - Our situation is very
critical, even if I
don'twant to be dramatic, but it is very
f****d up. - I’d rather take all my pills at
once. They won't kick me out of here. I say it from now that… I won't go to my children's house
or to any otherapartment. No, that's
impossible. |
00:08:06 |
Montage of images of the streets of Madrid |
Political progress [on the housing law] is moving slow. IT IS VERY STAGNANT AND IT IS BEYOND US. IN SPAIN THERE ARE THOUSANDS OF FAMILIES AFFECTED BY THIS PROBLEM, THAT CANNOT COPE WITH THIS SITUATIONAS A CONSEQUENCE OF THE CONTINUOUS INFLATION. ALL THIS TAKE TOO LONG. |
00:08:30 |
Cold on the streets
of Madrid. |
TEXT CARDS: The shopping basket is rising seven times
more than wages and meanwhile the price of electricityhas shot
up by 170%
today. The final CPI
data confirms that
prices rose to 7.3%. Food is still
very much affected by war at the
global level and drought at the local
level. |
00:08:52 |
Antonio and Mari
at the market
doing their shopping |
EVERYTHING IS EXPENSIVE FOR US.WHEN YOU GIVE HALF
OF EACH MONTHLY PAYMENT TO THE RENT, YOU
HAVE LITTLE LEFT. |
00:09:00 |
Mari talking to the butcher |
- A small chicken, as always, - How much is a kg of rabbit? -8.29 euros - My goodness |
00:09:26 |
Antonio and Mari looking
at their gas bills |
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We cannot afford to pay these bills anymore.Nor the price
of our rent.
It’s all part of the same problem. That
is wiping us out economically. With this excessive inflation. -
I don’t know
what to do. It is getting
worseeveryday. - I don’t feel
like looking at anymore bills |
00:10:05 |
Antonio and other members of the Syndicatearriving at the Congress of Deputies |
Well, Antonio, let me explaina little bit before
we go in. I
am going to explain that
you are coming and you
are going to tell your story. -Very well. -You will explain that if we had a
housing lawyou and your
home would be protected. through your
personal situation. |
00:10:22 |
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- It's a little
scary going up there, isn't
it? - Well it's going to be in this building - But yes, yes,
it is a bit scary,
not for... - ...for newbies like me |
00:10:36 |
Antonio talking to different political representatives. |
I have been in that house for 22
years and I started paying 200€. But all these outrages continue to take place
because the law does
not come out. The Union’s proposals are beingignored. But
for us it would be our only
salvation. |
00:10:58 |
Pablo talking to different political representatives. |
The two obstacles that the government is putting in the law are: the issue of regulating
the price of rents and that there should be no evictions without housing alternatives. It
would be interesting for us to know how you
see it,in order to design our actions, our campaigns, etc. |
00:11:25 |
The politician Gerardo Pisarello talking
to them. |
It seems to me that what
can make the Government give in, First is the fear of losing our support to pass
laws. That makes them
panic. So the fact that the rest of the
left- wingparties are here
is important. But above all,
they are worried about mobilization. Are you in a position to give this battle?To go out to the streets? To demonstrate in front
of the Congress? I have seen things
that theoretically could notbe
changed, things that could not be touched,and
as soon as there is social mobilization, orders
come from above
and things are modified. |
00:12:22 |
Antonio visiting the apartment of a woman whois
about to be evicted. |
-
I have to leave behind
a lot of things,I don’t have time. -All the things you have gathered during
a lifetime. |
00:12:37 |
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I DON'T JUST FEEL SORRY
FOR MY PROBLEMS, I WORRY
FOR THE OTHER
PEOPLE TOO. |
00:12:48 |
Marisa packing
and collecting her things. |
- Marisa, what a pity not to have
arrived in time, in order to fight back a little more. The drama of it is that they
get away with it. |
00:13:03 |
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SOME PEOPLE GET SO FRIGHTENED WITH THE FIRST EVICTION
NOTICES LIKE IDID, I GOT SCARED. BUT I GOT STRONG THROUGH THE UNION.BUT THREATS
OF LAWSUITS SCARE PEOPLE AND MAKE THEM RUN AWAY. |
00:13:21 |
Marisa with all
her belongings at the door
of thehouse and Antonio accompanying her. |
- Hello, Chema, how are you? Are you very busy? I just got
evicted from my house and I
was hoping you could help me move
my things. |
00:13:43 |
Antonio and Mari
talking in their
living room andholding hands |
- That’s bad. Watch that
from so close. Watchan
eviction take place, take out the furnitures. I can't
imagine our belongings being taken
out into the street, as I
saw this morning. - I feel like... - As if we are on the waiting list we are on the stand-by list.I don't even want to talk
about it anymore, it hurts me too much. Nordo I want to pass
on the pain
to you. I had
hoped for us a better life for the end of our days.But, that’s how things are. - Take it easy, dear. And to keep fighting, whichis what we have to do at this moment. |
00:14:31 |
On the way to the Blackstone dinner |
THE STRUGGLE HAVE TO GO ON.LIFE HAS PUSHED ME TO
THIS. I'M NOT LEADING ANYTHING, BUT I HAVE TO BE THERE. ALWAYS HOPING THAT THESE THINGS WILL HELP US TO
CHANGETHIS UNLIVABLE SITUATION. THAT’S WHY WE HAVE DECIDED
TO MAKEA DIRECT ACTION
AGAINST BLACKSTONE. |
00:14:53 |
A neighbor of antonio's talking on the train onthe way to the
action against blackstone. |
Well, we are going
to meet with the rest of the
neighborsto get together to the door of the restaurant where the
directors of our d e a r v u l t u r e f u n d Blackstone and political
representatives are going to have dinner. |
00:15:13 |
Protest action in front of the restaurant where Blackstone executives are dining. |
THE DIFFICULTIES OF THE GOVERNMENT TO REGULATE THE RENTS, ARE DUE TO THE
FACT THAT THESE POWERFUL INVESTORS, PARTICULARLY BLACKSTONE,THE
LARGEST LANDLORD IN THE WORLD, HAVE A LOT OF POWER,
GOVERNMENTS BOW TO THEM. |
00:15:25 |
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Text card: Blackstone heads the list of investment funds and banks that will be forced by the Housing Law to
lower rental prices These large housing holders are the
main opponents of the housing laws. |
00:15:47 |
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One of the most important
and responsible person in the government right now, who is negotiating the
housing law is coming
tohave dinner directly with the representatives of the vulture funds. |
00:16:07 |
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Look how they protect
them. But, they can see and hear us anyway. Dinner has choked
them a little bit. -
Is this possible? Me 84 years
old, and my wife81 years old, living with the
threat of having to leave our house. To go where? |
00:16:30 |
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“Social housing
given away to Capital” |
00:16:37 |
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- It is a half victory because we
have shown how the government caters more to a real estate lobby
that wants to evict us than to the
people who are present here. So on that note,
congratulations. |
00:17:04 |
Antonio at sunset walking
in the park. |
These are the nile geese.
Cats and dogs
can't go there. Animals
know that they have
to live insafe places, where other animals
cannot kick them out. |
00:17:21 |
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So much belongs to Blackstone Even though they
use different names. |
00:17:29 |
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WE JUST WANT FAIR RENTS. WE DON’T
ASK FOR ANYTHING FOR FREE. ALL WE
BEG IS THAT RENTS NOT GO UP SOHIGH THAT
WE CAN'T PAY THEM. |
00:18:00 |
Antonio meets with his neighbors in thecourtyard of the building. |
- We are the first to arrive as always. - Come on, tell
us about it. - Well, I got a call from them saying:
"we are going to lower
your rent in a new seven- year lease”. I said, "Well, you know me.
I've alwaysspoken for my neighbors, too.”
This works for me if you negotiate with them as well.
And they said
yes, tomorrow you can call them for a negotiation, with each one of
the neighbors. -Wait, I think that
Maria and Dani should represent us and
with Antonio’s help, who is doing so much for us.
Because If we goas individuals, they will make
different offers. And they will divide us. So what
we achieve? Nothing.At a collective level
we will gain nothing. - Jaqueline is saying something
true. They alsomade her an
offer once and she continues in the
collective fight. But
it is not that we are going to sign now one by one. That's why Dani is going to call and see what they offer. The samething has happened to me, they
have offered me a year of contract extension. -They offered me seven
years with no rental
rise. - Well, now we shouln’t give up. - Of course I’m
not. -Antonio, I don’t trust
them. You shouldn’t trust them either. -Me neither. Let’s see the letter. |
00:19:41 |
Meeting at Antonio's home with union members. |
- One of the strategies they use is to give you something, a little shred, - Blackstone knows they win by
splitting the group, the smaller the better for them. And themore
we resist together and we do not accept the
contracts that they offer us, and no individual solutions, then we will be stronger. - You two are becoming a symbol of the
struggle, of the resistance against Blackstone. So, it’s also very important
that you keep fighting. -There is no doubt
that we will
stay. - I am now
confident that we will not be kicked
out. But in case it happens, we did what we could. - In my personal life and in this issueparticularly I have a saying: "I do not give
up". |
00:20:38 |
Visual montage of the different political and media actions
in which Antonio
has appeared. |
- Now it's time for
mobilization and mobilization.Lots and lots of
it. - “Vultures out of our neighborhoods.” - There are 166 evictions every
day. - We will give visibility to the struggle whereverwe
can. - Through demonstrations, by blocking streets… - From the media. - To the government constant demands, - Blackstone has not been able to beat
us lastyear, because we've been fighting together. - “We do not tolerate not even one moreeviction”. - “Social housing now”. |
00:21:41 |
Antonio returning home in a car. |
The conclusion of all this is that the
struggleswill continue. The only thing
that works is the continued struggle
of the neighbors. |
00:21:51 |
Exterior images
of the Congress of Deputies. |
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00:22:11 |
Conversation between Antonio
and Pablo infront of the Congress. |
- At this age,
I think that I
will not see anything else.
I don’t have
time. I want to settle for the crumbs they gave me. Less is nothing. But at least
we have something. I have no
time left. - Come on, you are
better than me.You are even taller. - I’m now. It’s true. |
00:22:34 |
Union press conference at the door of the Congress. |
We can talk about
those small achievements that we have achieved thanks to the struggleand we have to recognise
that even if they are small, even if we have to defend them in order to get fulfilled, they are here in this law.
We will continue organizing ourselves to
defend our institutional right. |
00:22:55 |
Antonio and Mari watching TV at home |
Sourced footage: Congress TV (it is
public) Vote on the
bill for the right to housing. 176 votes in favour;
167 against and one abstention. Accordingly, the
bill is approved. |
00:23:06 |
Antonio and Mari
talking while sitting on thesofa |
- This suffering has been
too long, I don't
knowhow human beings endure as much as it comes
to us. The other day I asked
someone if this has taken years offour lives,
and I was told “No,
at most a few
months”. -Your sense of humor
and wit haveat least made it all less painful. -
You've been like
this all your
life, laughing withme. - For sixty-something years. I think
my wrinkles are not from age, they are from having laughedso
much. |
00:23:54 |
Night images
of people in their homes andAntonio
at his window. |
SINCE THE BEGINNING OF HISTORY, MAN HAS
SOUGHT CAVES FOR
SHELTER. |
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BUILDING YOUR HOME WITH WHAT |
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SURROUNDS YOU |
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AND THE BONDS YOU CREATE. |
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OUR HOME IS FULL
OF SO MANY |
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EMOTIONS. |
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WE HAVE
EXPERIENCED SO MUCH |
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HERE,TOGETHER WITH OUR FRIENDS, |
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WE HAVELAUGHED A LOT. NOWADAYS, IT |
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IS INCONCEIVABLE TO LIVE WITHOUT A |
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ROOF OVER
ONE'S HEAD. |
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UNFORTUNATELY, THOUGH, THERE ARE |
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MANY HOMELESS PEOPLE. AND THIS
IS |
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WHAT WE FIGHT FOR. |
00:24:44 |
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Final text
cards (by AJ) |