Protest at the Sevilla City Hall over the closure of the Flora Tristán residence

The assembly defending the Flora Tristán university complex has interrupted the plenary session of the Sevilla City Hall to demand public funding and prevent the closure of the residence.

The assembly defending the Flora Tristán university complex, owned by Pablo de Olavide University (UPO), brought its protest to the Sevilla City Hall on Tuesday to call for the mayor's involvement in maintaining the residence located in the Tres Mil Viviendas area.

The UPO Governing Council decided a week ago to keep the building closed until the necessary works are carried out to ensure the safety of the building, after the Social Council halted the transfer of its management to the Gerón Foundation, the approach advocated by the Rectorate to undertake the rehabilitation of the complex and reopen the residence next academic year. Following that rejection, the University established a mixed commission to explore new funding avenues, stating that it lacks resources to undertake works whose first phase is valued at 420,000 euros.

In this context, representatives of the assembly attended the extraordinary plenary session of the City Hall on Tuesday to demand support from the municipal corporation. After protesting in the plenary and being evicted while shouting "Flora will not close," they accused the Rectorate of presenting a "false dichotomy between the privatization of the complex or its closure" and demanded public funding to keep the project open for the next academic year, thus avoiding "leaving hundreds of students on the street."

The assembly warns of the impact that uncertainty and lack of responses are having on the student body. "It is already costing many residents their mental health," says Amanda, a representative of the assembly and a resident for four years in the complex. According to her testimony, the majority profile of those currently residing in Flora Tristán are students in vulnerable situations or migrants without a support network in the city, who depend on a public residence and collaboration scholarships to continue their studies. "Many only have their salary as a resource and earn about 500 euros a month; they are literally finding themselves on the street," she states.

Pablo de Olavide University has confirmed that the mixed commission has already held its first meeting and is working on a call for aid to facilitate alternative accommodation for students during the next academic year.