17/03/2025
Understand the recent squatter scandal in Sa Antonio. This text is taken and translated from the story on https://lavozdeibiza.com/
Timeline and five keys to understanding the squatting in Ibiza that has sparked outrageThe owner discovered the squat five days after the intruders entered his home. The police did not immediately evict them, and the case has become a media scandal after a squatter's associate appeared in a local newspaper
The case of the squatting in the heart of Sant Antoni , where a group of squatters changed the door of a house while the Police and Civil Guard watched without intervening , has generated great social alarm in Ibiza .The property owner, Vicent Riera , discovered the occupation several days after it had taken place and witnessed how the squatters, instead of hiding, defied the authorities in broad daylight . The situation worsened further when one of the squatters' collaborators stormed a local newspaper demanding the removal of images showing him participating in the occupation .
Below is a review of the complete chronology of events and the key points that explain why this case has generated so much outrage on the island .————————————————————————
Chronology of the squatting in Sant Antoni
Squatters enter the home (March 8th)
A couple, a Spanish woman and a Moroccan man , enter an apartment located on Bisbe Cardona Street , in the heart of Sant Antoni. They are not acting alone : other people are collaborating with them in the occupation , helping them gain access to the property and make modifications to the home.The presence of other people in the process will be key in the following days, since one of the collaborators will appear in the images recorded by the owner and will later star in an incident in a media outlet .
The owner discovers the squat (March 12)
Five days after the squatters entered the home, Vicent Riera was contacted by a neighbour who asked if he had rented the house or if he had given the keys to someone.
Upon arriving, he finds several people changing the locks on his house . When he tries to reclaim his property, the squatters not only refuse to leave, but also challenge him, mock him, and record him with their cell phones . In the same recording, one of the squatters, the Spanish woman, threatens to call the police .
The Local Police and the Civil Guard do not intervene (March 13)
Riera calls the police, and officers from the Sant Antoni Local Police and the Civil Guard arrive at the scene . The officers observe the scene but do not evict the squatters .The officers explain to the owner that the squatters have submitted a video proving they have been in the home since March 8 , which qualifies them as a residential dwelling . Under these circumstances, the law prohibits evicting them without a court order .
Meanwhile, the squatters continue to casually change the door and taunt the owner . They even shout phrases like "Long live the King!" and "Long live Spain!" in a sarcastic tone while security forces remain on the scene.
The scandal of appearing in the press (March 13)
One of the men who helped the squatters change the lock , along with another young man, appears in the Diario de Ibiza newspaper demanding that the images of him changing the door and confronting the owner be removed .
Both insist they will not leave until the media outlet removes the content , creating a tense situation.When the newspaper refused to delete the material, the staff called the National Police , who arrived within four minutes along with officers from the Ibiza Local Police . After reviewing the images, the police ruled out any reason to remove them and proceeded to evict the two individuals .
Ibiza's senior judge explains the procedure (March 14)In the face of growing public outrage, Ibiza's chief judge, Sergio González Malabia , clarifies the judicial procedure to be followed in these cases.
He explains that the court cannot act ex officio without a complaint from the owner or a police report , and that up to that point, the Duty Court has not received either of these .The judge also notes that, if legal requirements are met, the eviction could be carried out within 24 hours through a precautionary measure issued by the Duty Court.
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Five keys to understanding the case
1. The police could not evict the squatters at the timeThe Penal Code differentiates between breaking and entering and trespassing .* Breaking and entering occurs when a habitual residence is occupied, allowing the police to remove the intruders immediately .* Usurpation , on the other hand, occurs when the occupied property is not the owner's habitual residence. In this case, eviction can only be carried out through legal means .By showing a video in which they supposedly had been in the house since March 8, the squatters managed to avoid immediate eviction.
2. The owner must file a complaint so that Justice can act.The senior judge has been clear: without a complaint or a report, the Justice system cannot intervene .If the owner files a complaint and the Civil Guard prepares a report, the judge on duty could order a precautionary measure and the return of the property in less than 24 hours .
3. The squatting became a media scandalOne of the squatters attempted to force the removal of images from a media outlet , which resulted in his eviction by the National Police.
4. The mayor of Sant Antoni spoke about the caseMayor Marcos Serra has acknowledged that the 24-hour theory for consolidating squatting has no legal basis , but has insisted that "once they have established themselves as a home, it is difficult to act . "
5. The new anti-squatter law could have changed the scenarioA reform will come into effect in April that will allow express evictions to be ordered within 48 hours , but only if the owner files a complaint immediately .In this case, if the complaint had been filed in time, the law would have facilitated a much faster expulsion.
