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A town with no police, no crime, little unemployment and the freedom to build your own home on communal land sounds like it should be in a science fiction movie.

But, outside the city of Seville in Spain, around 2,750 people live in this “socialist utopia” of Marinaleda under the watchful gaze of mayor Juan Manuel Sánchez Gordillo, who became known as “the Spanish Robin Hood”.

(Image: CRISTINA QUICLER/AFP/GettyImages)

In 2012, he organised raids on supermarkets where basic supplies like rice, flour, sugar, pasta, milk and olive oil were taken from stores and given to food banks.

And with the rise of Spain's radical left Podemos party, particularly after Greece's election, Marinaleda is gaining more attention.

The town operates a farming collective with nearly everyone employed there (the last count put it at 2,650 employees) where each employee is paid 1,200 euro a month.

(Image: Comisión de Audiovisuales Acampada Zaragoza)

This near-full employment is unheard of at the moment in Spain. Unheard of the world over, however, is the access to land so free (or as good as free) houses can be built.

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The local government bought thousands of square metres of land and provided building materials. Architectural plans and free assistance from professional builders are all provided.

Owners donate around 450 days work to the construction and the only occasion money is thought to change hands is a monthly payment of up to between 15 and 16 euro along with agreement not to sell their home for financial gain.

(Image: Comisión de Audiovisuales Acampada Zaragoza)

This idea all stems from the late 1970s, where the area had more than 60% unemployment and was a farming community with no land, leaving inhabitants without food for days at a time.

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In 1979, in came Gordillo, then aged 30. Then began a decade of protests, occupations and strikes about gaining access to the large farm the community now relies on.

It was only passed over in 1991. In that time, Gordillo has been elected and re-elected as mayor with overwhelming majorities time after time..

(Image: Alexander Talbot)

Everyone who works at the farm operates in group shifts - the ones needed are called out in advance through a loudspeaker, the Observer reported, depending on what needs to be done the next day.

The crops they produce - olives, peppers, artichokes, fava beans, green beans, broccoli - are the ones that require the most effort, the most human labour therefore offering the most employment.

Private enterprise, like cafés and bars, are still in the village with full acceptance from residents, though even the suggestion of Starbucks was met with a "we just wouldn't allow it" from the mayor.

So what’s the catch?

No hold on, there must be…