Clashes as police evict family of eight from Vitoria flat despite €2,454 monthly aid

The Vitoria City Council ruled out rehousing a family with six minor children who receive €2,454 a month in benefits and had turned down the council's alternative accommodation. The Ertzaintza (Basque police) evicted the flat at Avenida de los Huetos 28 after years of court proceedings brought by the owner.

The family were renting the property at number 28 Avenida de los Huetos, in the Sansomendi neighbourhood of Vitoria. Eight people: a couple and six underage children. The contract had ended and the owner had spent years trying to recover the property through the courts. The eviction was carried out with the Ertzaintza entering the building while around a hundred people camped outside to try to stop it.

## An eviction with two parties in need

The owner is also in a situation of need and wants to recover his home, as reported by Noticias Cuatro. The family, for their part, had spent roughly a year looking for another rental without success. They claim to have suffered discrimination because of their origin, which the Sindicato Socialista de Vivienda (Socialist Housing Union) calls "property racism".

The Vitoria City Council had definitively ruled out rehousing. The family receives **€2,454** a month in benefits and had rejected the housing alternative offered by the council, according to the council's own figures.

## Police charges and a camp of a hundred people

The Ertzaintza cleared the campers to reach the building entrance. There were police charges against protesters trying to block the eviction, according to footage broadcast by Informativos Telecinco and Mañaneros 360. The moment police entered the property was recorded by Tribuna Digital7.

The case has generated tension in the city and a public debate about the limits of social benefits, access to housing and the council's handling of families with dependent minors. The figure of **€2,454** in benefits and the refusal of rehousing are the two elements that have sparked the most discussion.

## What the rules say about rehousing and benefits

Eviction proceedings for non-payment or end of contract require a court ruling. Alternative housing for families with minors depends on municipal social services and on eligibility criteria for public housing. In this case, the council considered that the family did not meet the conditions for rehousing.

Discrimination based on origin in access to rental housing is prohibited under Spanish law. Complaints of "property racism" require evidence and a judicial or administrative process. Any assessment of the parties' conduct must be based on the court ruling and the social reports on the case.