Why Marbella is Europe’s most upmarket resort See page 10
O LIVE P RESS COSTA BLANCA
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Your expat
voice in Spain
yorkshirelinencostablanca.com
Jávea · Altea
Vol. 5 Issue 104 www.theolivepress.es April 20th - May 3rd 2023
Forced to eat!
Ladies man
Was Spain’s Luis Vives, the first real champion of womans’ rights?
Page 6
APRIL FOOLED
How an Olive Press reporter’s joke tortilla caused a national outrage
Page 7
Worrying warning signs lead Brit to stop hunger strike over Spanish residency refusal after 11 days A DIZZY spell on a staircase has forced a British man to end his hunger strike over a Spanish residency row. Mark Saxby was advised to stop his protest on medical grounds after just a week and a half. The 55-year-old, from Safor, near Valencia, took the extreme action after being refused residency despite submitting all the correct paperwork. In just 11 days he shed an alarming eight kilos from a starting point of 80 kilos. “I was really running out of energy and on day 12 I nearly fainted and fell down my stairs,” he told the
By Alex Trelinski
Olive Press. “It was a definite sign that I needed to stop and, in any case, the authorities are seemingly uninterested. “Do I need to make myself seriously unwell to get any official response? Making myself ill was not the ultimate goal!” Saxby, an English teacher by trade, was devastated when the Spanish authorities rejected his residency application, as we reported in our last issue. He was particularly angry as he had submitted it before ‘Brexit Day’, January 1, 2021, but was denied residency as he didn’t have private mediBut after seven cal insurance, which he imyears of negotiating mediately acyou can’t see the quired. Despite apMaster of Light peals to the European See page 12 Commission and the Ombudsman for help, he has still been unsuccessful. His residency battle revolved around delays caused by the pandemic which cut down any time to rectify the health insur-
WHO AM I?
PLUMMETED: Saxby lost an incredible eight kilos
ance omission. “There were difficulties accessing websites to log in my details and then I kept being referred to different offices for appointments across the Valencia region due to Covid delays,” he explained.
extradited. As a non-resident, non-EU passport holder he must adhere to the ‘90 days stay within 180 days’ rule. The Valencian authorities have not replied to questions from the Olive Press. “I really appreciate you covering this on your front page and I am still hopeful someone upstairs will take note,” he concluded. Opinion Page 6
RE OUR HEARTSSeA e Page 2 BROKEN
ALL YOUR LEGAL ISSUES DEALT WITH!
gic death Brit arrested after tra right’s W tt of bouncer at Ellio ant ur sta re l So Costa del
Here to help with your life in Spain including wills, residency, tax returns, buying and selling property We speak your language! Centro Comercial Arenal, Avenida del Pla 126, Office 217, Javea 03730 tel: 966 943 219 www.mylawyerinspain.com
Insurance
“On top of that under the withdrawal agreement, we were promised a three-month period to deal with any problems which would have identified the insurance issue,” he added. The hunger strike was a last throw of the dice, but not surprisingly health issues started to kick in, before anyone in power took any interest. He began eating again, little by little, and is hoping not to have suffered any long-term health problems. He is now being forced to return to the UK to prevent being arrested and
SALES & RENTALS SPECIALISTS Moriara•Calpe•Jalon•Javea•Denia•Altea
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96 649 1883 www.mariposaenergia.es www.moraira-hamiltons.net