Basic groceries such as oil, rice and beans were loaded into carts, wheeled from the store and taken to a local food bank to help the poor, as helpless cashiers looked on, some crying.
In an interview after the event, Gordillo, the democratically elected mayor since 1979, said it was not theft, but a non-violent act of disobedience.
“There are many families who can’t afford to eat,” he argued. “In the 21st century this is an absolute disgrace. Food is a right, not something with which you speculate.”
In this province alone there are 690,000 empty properties due to bank foreclosures. But not in Marinaleda, because Gordillo has a solution: anyone who wants to build their own house can do so for free. Materials and qualified workmen are provided by the town hall, and the generous allowance of 192 square meters means the homes are spacious. Families then pay just 15 euros ($19) per month for the rest of their lives, with the agreement that the house cannot be sold for private gain.
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So just to confirm.. the mayor steals from the other firms providing employment for the citizens and then holds a permanent lease on property so that if one ever gets offered a job in Madrid they have no money with which to buy a property there.
And that's good..
..
I do have sympathy for full employment arguments (i would conscript the long term unemployed) and i'm even not opposed to co-operatives (as somebody who believes in markets i'm open to a variety of ownership structures - if a co-operative can make a profit then good for them) but stealing and preventing home ownership are not things i can support and nor would i want to be stuck on a farm forever.