A local hub for activism and culture faces up to gentrification

~ Jandre Sotileza ~

La Libre is a self-managed, non-profit, community-run bookstore and a social centre in the city of Santander (Cantabria), in the north of Spain. For decades this autonomous space has provided a home to social collectives, witnessing the birth of many political and cultural projects for causes and intersections.

Today the centre has a library, free shop, screen-printing workshop, and the studio of free radio station Radio Argayo. Other users of the building include prisoner solidarity group Henas, libertarian newspaper Briega, consumer group Acopio, and anti-authoritarian publisher Doble Vinculo. The bookstore promotes the dissemination of alternative publishers through a shared network across Spain, and the centre is a distribution point for the bread cooperative Ecoopan.

There are no salaries involved, nor paid workers: La Libre relies solely on militant and volunteer work. The project is funded by the materials sold in the bookstore and membership dues, without any grants or subsidies. Under the motto “nobody receives money, no body pays”, all activities are free.

After being active for almost 25 years, ever-rising rents and the increasing cost of living have posed a serious challenge. La Libre is located in the El Cabildo neighbourhood, plagued by tourist apartments, hostels, and other businesses geared towards short-term rental. This gentrification has been going on for years through a policy of neglect that has facilitated the purchase of land and buildings at low prices by construction companies and developers. In an historically low-income area close to the city centre, the goal was clear: to drive out the original residents and turn the area into a gentrified zone.

This year, La Libre was forced to purchase the space which hosts it, which the owners refused to continue renting. Thankfully, few people connected to La Libre (25 years are enough to build a strong community of support and struggle) decided to loan their savings at 0% interest for the purchase. The assembly at La Libre has now launched a crowdfunding campaign under the slogan “La Libre se queda” (La Libre remains) to raise 100,000 euros and return the loan.

With the help of international supporters like you, La Libre can remain a welcoming space for the social activism in Santander and Cantabria for decades to come.