The building became a focal point for anti-eviction groups in August 2013 when they successfully helped block a previous attempt to evict residents by Madrid City Hall.Javier Lizón (EFE)The residents say they were not informed that the building, in which some of them had been living for 50 years, was going to be demolished on Friday. City Hall denies this, saying they were given due notice of the court eviction order, which was issued on February 18.Jaime VillanuevaPolice arrived at 7.30 on Friday morning and unsuccessfully tried to tear down the door of the property, according to witnesses. They ultimately used a digger to do the job. Inside were a number of people, who were removed by officers.Javier Lizón (efe)According to police sources, some of the protestors doused officers with gasoline, though stopped short of setting them on fire. Seven people were arrested for this reason, though residents and activists later claimed on the social networks that the substance had not been gasoline, but water.Jaime VillanuevaCity Hall’s 17,450-square-meter development plan for the area has affected 17 properties and the owners of 30 assets and rights, as well as requiring the rehousing of 15 families.Jaime VillanuevaThe owners, who had been living there since 1956, had asked for €1.8 million, but various lawsuits fixed the compensation at €399,000.Javier Lizón (EFE)The development plan has involved the expropriation of 2,200 square meters for new amenities, 2,565 for green space and 3,575 for roads, along with 10,375 for residential use.Jaime VillanuevaOne of the owners of the property, Ángeles Gracia, told news agency Efe that the officers had shown up “with no prior warning” and “without any notification or entry order.” They “pulled off the door with the help of a digger,” she said.Jaime VillanuevaCity Hall says the aim of the plan is to reorder the area by remodeling the enclave of existing poor housing, opening up local roads to connect with neighboring areas, and creating the open space and amenities that it lacked.Jaime Villanueva
