Casa Orsola eviction postponed as hundreds rally to stop it

The eviction of the Casa Orsola building in Barcelona’s Eixample, scheduled for Friday, was postponed after hundreds gathered to prevent it.

The judicial committee arrived at the property at 10.30am and, after speaking with the affected resident, Josep, decided to postpone the eviction, citing concerns that it "could not be carried out safely."

The new eviction date has been set for Tuesday February 4 at 5 am.

"They're summoning us again here in three days early in the morning, hoping we'll be caught off guard. They don't understand anything. We'll be here," said Tenants' Union spokesperson Enric Aragonès.

In an interview with Catalan News, Carme Arcarazo from the Tenant's Union said it was "shameful" that the new eviction would take place in the early hours of Tuesday. 

"It is unprecedented, but it reassures us even more. We will be here from Monday at 9pm to defend Josep, Casa Orsola and Barcelona from speculators," she said. 

According to the Guàrdia Urbana police, around 800 people gathered at the building from early morning to block the eviction.

Some protesters stayed overnight inside the property to prevent the eviction in the early hours.

There was no police presence throughout the morning, with only a few officers escorting the judicial committee when it arrived.

Earlier in the morning, Tenants' Union spokesperson Enric Aragonès said that with over a thousand people trying to stop it, "the eviction will be impossible."

Meanwhile, the morning remained peaceful, with live music performances from the building and speeches in support of the protest.

Demonstrators chanted slogans such as "Casa Orsola, no estàs sola" ("Casa Orsola, you are not alone") and "Ni un euro més, vaga de llogaters" ("Not a single euro more, rent strike").

Among those present to oppose the eviction were representatives from left-wing Comuns and pro-independence Esquerra.

Casa Orsola has become a symbol of Barcelona's housing crisis in recent years and has gathered much media attention. 

The building was purchased by investment fund Lioness Inversiones in 2021 and since then has stopped renewing leases of the residents in the building, favoring instead to convert the flats into short-term lets, which are exempt from any rent cap regulation. 

Josep Torrent was the first Casa Orsola resident due to be evicted. 

Torrent has lived in the building for 24 years and was the first of the five defendants to go to trial.

Sued by the investment fund that bought Casa Orsola in 2021 for staying in his flat beyond the termination of his lease, he faced eviction on January 31. 

The Tenants' Union has been organizing a "marathon" of actions since last week, culminating with a demonstration on Friday with the intention of preventing the eviction. 

Back in 2022, Catalan News published an episode of our podcast, Filling the Sink, taking a look at the story behind Casa Orsola.