"This is a message for Esther Argerich, " the video starts, "the owner of the apartment where Livia and Juan have been living with their three children for more than 12 years." "It turns out that they have been paying a rent of 1,000 euros for 12 years, now they are imposed an abusive rise in that rent, of 300 euros, which they cannot pay and, therefore, they may be evicted," he continues.

The last anti-eviction campaign sponsored by United We have the face of its spokesman and number two, Irene Montero, but another proper name: Esther Argerich. Name and surname. "We ask Esther Argerich to negotiate with Livia and Juan a fair rent," Montero repeats the owner's data again, "so they can continue living with their three children in the neighborhood where they have been living for 12 years and in the house where they have lived 12 years. "

And he concludes: "We have to be responsible and ensure that in our country no one is thrown out of their house for an abusive rental." The video, published this Tuesday, has generated a great wave of responses. This time no eviction is reported but a possible eviction. And this time, the owner is not a vulture fund, but a private person, with name and surname. Other representatives of the purple formation have joined her initiative, such as the deputy spokeswoman in the Ione Belarra Congress or the deputy Rafael Mayoral, as well as Raimundo Viejo or Jorge Moruno , from Más País.

The contract of Livia and Juan in an apartment in the Barcelona neighborhood of Gràcia expired on October 31. "The owner demanded an increase of 30% on what we are paying or, failing that, handing over the keys," Juan himself explained in a video published in March by Sindicat Llogateres, a tenant association born in May 2017 from the hand of "a group of neighbors organized in defense of the right to housing and an affordable, stable, safe and decent rent," they explain themselves.

Already then the landlady was indicated with name and surname. Argerich notified in June, four months before the end of the contract, a 30% increase on the rental of 1,000 euros, through a burofax from Real Estate Caseuro , explains Sindicat Llohgateres in an entry on his website also dated March , "with clear instructions: 'sign, or hand over the keys'".

"For Argerich, moving from home to any of his other properties in Barcelona can be easy. For Livia, handing over the keys would mean leaving the neighborhood where the youngest of his children was born and raised, where they have their friends, partners and where they have trained a life for the past 16 years, "said the tenant association's website.

"I didn't want to leave my house, I thought that if I left the house, someone would come in and change the lock, and I and my children would be left without our house," said Livia, who chose what the union considers "third option: stay and fight. " After several "actions", the real estate company resigned from continuing to manage the apartment, but the owner continues without negotiating the price increase, they explain. The marriage received a first eviction order on April 8 .

"Our landlady is a very arrogant person with whom you really couldn't talk at all," Juan explained in the video. The morning of this Wednesday, seven months after that, the Llogateres Union and the Office of Popular Habitat of Gràcia have called a rally in front of the house of Livia and Juan, in Travessera de Gràcia, 274.

Criticism of public signaling

The novelty of the anti-eviction campaign undertaken by Irene Montero is that, for the first time, the owner of a flat that could be evicted is indicated by name and surname. In addition to a barrage of anonymous criticism on Twitter, political criticism has not been long in coming. Toni Cantó, deputy of Citizens commented on the video of Montero in four points, which ended up encouraging the UP spokeswoman to welcome in his "farm" to marriage: "Going as a communist salvapatrias, in your 2,000m² farm several families fit. ".

Also the former councilor of the City Council of Madrid Percival Manglano , of the PP , has criticized Montero. "Seeing how you put certain people on the target, it is scary to think that you could be Vice President of the Government or have the CNI at your command," he said.

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