Robert Rivas is a fireman from Galicia who refused to help evict an 85-year-old woman from her home – he now faces a 600-euro fine.

The incident, which occurred in February 2013, received ample media coverage, but even more on social networks, where he was proclaimed a hero.

It was during a plague of evictions that the case of Aurelia Rey in La Coruña came up. The citizen movement, Stop Desahucio, (Stop Evictions) had alerted as many people as possible to come along and prevent the eviction and had used such measures as chaining the front door closed to prevent the police from entering.

Consequently, the police called up the fire service to send around personnel to use their special metal-cutting tools to cut through the chains.

But when fireman Rivas arrived he flatly refused to take part in the “shameful” eviction of this elderly lady, so he simply told the police that he wouldn’t do it and waving a Stop Deshaucios poster got back into his cab, placed the poster on the dashboard and drove off.

Now, finally, he has appeared before a judge as he has been accused of “disrupting public order,” by the local conservative-government representatives and faces a fine of 600 euros for following his convictions.

Robert Rivas has contested the fine; hence his appearance before a judge, cheered on by hundreds of supporters. His reasoning for contesting the fine: “Amongst the tasks required for being a fireman, throwing people out of their homes is not one of them.”

(News: La Coruña, Galicia Spain)