The apparition took place on Saturday at noon in the neighborhood of Errota, and not by chance. At the beginning of the school year, anti-crime mobilizations were launched in the neighbourhood, demanding the expulsion of young migrants living in abandoned farms. “We were impatient to see through its streets the messages that the neighbors who found themselves on the margins of poverty wanted to throw out of the neighborhood.” It was then that several people and agents began to work together – also taking advantage of the work done in the same line in previous years – to take into account “all the vertices that this situation has” and to promote “mutual knowledge between neighbors”. Since then, they point out, more than 30 agents of the city have joined the objective: “Training of neighborhoods in the solution of neighborhood problems. Because there’s nothing like networking to influence our communities.”

Poverty and racism on the rise

A crude diagnosis was made at the press conference: In Vitoria-Gasteiz, on the one hand, “there are more and more people on the red street, in a situation of extreme poverty, and the institutions do not provide the resources to deal with this situation”; on the other hand, “there is a growing fear and rejection” of refugees and migrants.

Dismissal has become “common.” More specifically, he emphasizes that racism against young migrants has “multiplied” and that the reception center for refugees in Arana has been placed “at the focus of political hate campaigns.” The initiative denounces that the far right is “precipitating” these messages, and that some media are constantly “feeding” all this with “total irresponsibility”.

A model is being strengthened, they say, that “only in the face of serious situations requires more police intervention and ignores violations of rights.”

Fostering coexistence and taking responsibility

In the face of all this, Vitoria-Gasteiz Diversa has expressed its intention to put another model “in practice” and invite the Vitoria-Gasteiz calls to join.

“We have set the starting point for coexistence”, they say, and ensure that the main tool to achieve it is “solidarity”. “We know that there are situations that cause serious problems of coexistence. We strongly believe that neighbors should take responsibility for solving the multiple problems that occur in our neighborhoods,” they explain. “We are neither police nor judges. We do not want to enter into a debate about what is legal or illegal. We are neighbors and we will move from that role.”

“No matter where or when we are born, we are the Greeks. We are neighbors,” explains the initiative, and argues that “community mediation” is a useful tool to build “trust bridges” between neighbors. This is exactly how they faced a conflict in Judith at the beginning of the year, as we explained in detail in this report. “XXX” was told by the interlocutors involved in the process to LA LUZ.

The focus has been on citizens and the populace, but the institutions have been required to fulfil their responsibilities. The City Council of Vitoria-Gasteiz, the Provincial Council of Álava and the Basque Government have called for and denounced that the services for the most disadvantaged are “collapsed” due to lack of resources. They have asked the municipal service of coexistence and anism to nurture “social cohesion” before and in the face of conflicts, with “practical and achievable palotations”.

Explore new paths

In the opinion of Vitoria-Gasteiz Antica, we must not allow ourselves to be “habitual” in terms of “opposition to people living on the street or in abandoned places and places” or “normalize xenophobic and racist discourses against refugees who ask for protection”. The source of all this is “poverty, racism and exclusion”.

“In a context where the messages of the extreme right are gaining strength, we have difficulties and a great lack of tools from the populace”, they confess, but they call on the agents and citizens of Vitoria-Gasteiz to reverse the situation, “to investigate new tools and try new ways”.