• Petitioners ask PSOE’s Ximo Puig to save Alicante mountain town tavern •
The colourful Casa Pinet restaurant in the Alicante mountain town of Tàrbena, renowned as much for its Spanish Republican and international socialist ambience as massive plates of paella and traditional Spanish fare, has issued a “call to arms” through a petition at Change.org to help stave off closure due to a dispute over the terms of the resturant’s rental agreemeent.
The historic restaurant, which has entertained visits over the past four decades from left-wing notables and enthusiasts worldwide — ranging from German Socialist chancellor Willy Brandt and historic Spanish Communist party leader Santiago Carrillo, British Labour Party groups and historians of the Spanish Civil War — abuts the town’s Santa Bárbara church in a building owned by the Tàrbena town council, currently controlled by a tentative coalition of Socialist (PSOE) and conservative Popular Party (PP) councilors.
After agreeing to meet a monthly rent increase, Casa Pinet’s owners objected to a short-term contract from the town with a clause that could mean immediate closure of the restaurant upon sale of the premises. Their counter-offer to move the restaurant to their own property away from the town centre was rebuffed by local officials, who refused to grant a license to operate on the new premises. Faced with possible closure, Casa Pinet’s owners launched an online petition at Change.org, gathering some 1,750 signatures in just three days, calling on Valencia President Ximo Puig to intervene.
► Read the Full Story in Spanish at El Mundo and Benissa Digital …
► Sign the Online Petition at Change.org: ‘No al cierre de Casa Pinet’ …
► ► CLICK ABOVE TO WATCH VIDEO ON CASA PINET ► ►
