+++
title = "Tapping"
+++

*First heard in ████ █ █ █████████,, date unknown. Retold at the bonfires in Mošorin in 2023, and Berlin in 2024.*

In Spain, thousands of people lost their jobs and their homes during the financial crisis of 2008. Many couldn’t afford to rent, so they squatted, ███████ ███ ████ ██ (████ ██ ███ ██████████ ████) ██ █████ ██████. █ █████ █████████ ████ at one point over 250,000 people were living in unlawfully occupied flats and houses all across the country. 

The media presents the squatters, okupas as they are called, as lazy, self-marginalized drifters, as a threat to other poor neighbors who pay for their housing and for their bills. 60% of those living in occupied flats have had to connect to the electricity illegally by “tapping” into the existing system. ███████, ██ █████████ █████████ ██████, █████ ██ █ common locked cupboard on the ground floor or in the basement, where the meters of all flats are kept. Only those who own or rent legally have a key, and breaking into that cupboard is a punishable offense. ████ ███ ██████ ██ █████ ████ ██ █ ████, ██████ ███ ██ ███ ████ ████████ ██████████ ██ ██ ███ ████████. 

██ █████, █████ ███ no laws protecting dwellers’ basic right to water and energy. Since people need electricity, the untapping can happen regularly, with electricians from the companies having a sort of “beat” for checking illegal tapping, and so they get to know the residents, especially in small towns and villages. The proof of the disconnection is a photograph of the untapped meter. Sometimes, more often than imagined, the workers photograph the meter, then ████ ███████ ██ ██████ ███ cupboard’s door is unlocked; or ████████████████ ███████ ███ ██████████, ██ ███ ███ ██████ ████ ████ ███ █████████ ███ ████████, ███ company has been informed, the order re-established, so they can tap it again. Sometimes, ███ █████████ ████ ████ ██ █████ ███████, ███ they nod to each other if they meet in the street.