Trade unions, pensioners and residents of Thessaloniki’s Kato Toumba neighbourhood continued their mobilisation on 3 November to prevent the eviction of a low-income elderly couple from their home. The Communist Party of Greece (KKE) has supported the struggle, with its representatives joining the mobilisation and denouncing the system of auctions and evictions that allows banks and loan-servicing companies to take people’s homes.
NEW: KKE continues to support prevention of elderly couple's eviction in Thessaloniki
The couple, aged 77 and 75, are pensioners and political refugees who returned to Greece from the former Czechoslovakia. They are facing eviction from their apartment at 64 Kappadokias Street, which was auctioned in 2021 for €85,000. The father had acted as guarantor for a housing loan taken out by their son and his wife. When the borrowers were unable to continue repayments, proceedings were initiated against both the borrowers’ home and the guarantor’s home.
According to the family’s account, the two households had sought protection under the amended Katseli Law in 2019. Court decisions subsequently ordered the liquidation of both properties. The son and his wife left their home to facilitate its sale, but, according to the family, that property remains unsold. Meanwhile, the parents’ home was sold, leaving the elderly couple facing eviction while the original borrowers’ property remains tied to the same debt.
Mobilisation prevents eviction for a second day
According to 902.gr, The attempted eviction began on the morning of 2 November, when a bailiff arrived accompanied by police officers. Workers, trade unionists and residents gathered outside the apartment, forming a human barrier that prevented the operation from proceeding.
The mobilisation was called by the Committee of Trade Unions Against Auctions. KKE parliamentary representative Leonidas Stoltidis took part, alongside elected representatives of the party’s Laiki Sispirosi lists. Trade unions, mass organisations, student associations and neighbourhood residents also joined an evening demonstration through Kato Toumba, under the slogan “The people save the people’s homes!”
On 3 November, the solidarity mobilisation continued for a second day. Trade unions, pensioners and residents remained outside the apartment, ready to prevent another attempt to carry out the eviction. The 902.gr report said that the mass presence had so far blocked the operation and that the unions would remain at the site in case the bailiff returned with a locksmith.
The couple’s case has also raised questions about the circumstances in which the property was sold. The apartment, measuring approximately 80 square metres and located on the fourth floor, was auctioned for €85,000. The family estimates its value at approximately €152,000, based on comparable property listings in the area.
The family argues that the sale proceeds did not cover the outstanding debt, leaving both homes exposed to enforcement proceedings. The unions have criticised a process through which, they say, two first and only homes can be pursued over a single loan, while financial companies stand to profit from the loss of working-class families’ homes.
New actions at loan-servicing company and courts
The trade unions announced two further mobilisations for Wednesday, 4 November. At 11 a.m., demonstrators are due to gather outside the offices of CEPAL, the company managing the loan, at 1A Dodekanisou Street, near Democracy Square. At noon, the mobilisation is due to continue at the Thessaloniki courts, where the couple’s lawyer is seeking a temporary court order to prevent the eviction.
The application reportedly cites the guarantor’s serious health condition and the price at which the property was sold. The unions are demanding that the couple be allowed to remain in their home at least until the pending legal proceedings have been decided.
The Committee of Trade Unions Against Auctions is also demanding legislative protection for primary residences and an end to the eviction of low-income pensioners, sick people and vulnerable families.