“We demand […] the immediate suspension of all demolitions that do not have planned adequate rehousing solutions…”, reads a statement from the Loures blockists.
The Loures City Council proceeded today with the demolition of about 30 of the 64 self-built houses scheduled for demolition in the Talude Militar neighborhood, with work continuing on Tuesday, a source from the municipality told Lusa agency.
For the BE, the demolitions carried out “represent a violent attack on the rights of the most vulnerable populations in the municipality and a clear violation of human dignity.”
“These actions, executed without dialogue with citizens, without the mandatory presence of a social worker, and without real rehousing solutions, show the cruelty of local authority power, which prefers to show force instead of solving social problems,” accuse the blockists.
The Loures section of BE states that this is nothing but a “regrettable episode of municipal election campaigning promoted by the PS, mimicking in form and content the aggressive policy of the far-right.”
“The systematic irresponsibility of the municipality, always transferring the competence to resolve the situation to the Government, demonstrates the insensitivity and lack of humanity that increasingly characterizes the PS governance in Loures,” reads the note.
The Bloco de Esquerda further states that it “vehemently condemns” this operation, which it claims follows “the logic of eviction as a housing policy.”
The demolition work for the precarious housing began today at 12:00, in a climate of tension between the residents of the Talude Militar neighborhood and the PSP, and ended around 16:00, as Lusa agency observed on-site.
In statements to Lusa, a source from the Loures City Council, in the district of Lisbon, indicated that today approximately 30 self-built houses were destroyed, with work resuming on Tuesday “until the 64 planned houses are demolished.”
According to the Loures City Council, 161 people lived in the 64 houses, 62 of whom are children, who now have to seek alternative housing.
