Activists belonging to the United Action Roof Over One’s Head and United Action Roof Over One’s Head Novi Sad groups prevented three evictions in one day.
Two evictions have been prevented in Belgrade, and one in Sremska Mitrovica. Among others, the activists defended an elderly woman, a five months pregnant woman and a four-year-old from being forcefully dislodged. At one of the locations the police took personal data and threatened the activist with bringing them in.
The number of evictions in Serbia is on the rise. Serbia is one of the countries in Europe with the largest gap between the rich and the poor, whose population is at the same time among the most burdened with housing expenses.
Many citizens are forced to live in temporary accommodation, unlegalized buildings and buildings belonging to the state, while others are unable to pay bank loans or communal charges. The Law on housing and maintenance of apartment buildings together with the Law on enforcement and security interest, however, supply legal grounds to evictions even in cases where primary home or a debt are a matter of an unresolved court case.
The United Action Roof Over One’s Head considers evictions to be illegitimate and inhumane. They appealed to the citizens to join their struggle and announced a protest to be held at the same time with an assembly of enforcement officers, on the 8th of December.
I.K.
Translation from Serbian: Iskra Krstić
This article was originally published in Serbian on Dec 6, 2018.
