Tens of thousands of people have taken to the streets of Madrid and other cities across Spain in a wave of protests against the housing crisis and rising rents. The rallies took place in around 50 cities, just a day after parliament rejected a package proposed by Pedro Sánchez's government to intervene in the housing market. Protesters demanded that housing be treated as a fundamental right and called for a general strike.
"We are asking for a fundamental right: decent housing, stability and the opportunity to build a normal life," said a protester in Madrid, who said he spends half his salary on just a small room.
The government package included extending the ban on evictions until 2030, as well as new rules on short-term rentals and room rentals.
But the two decrees did not receive the necessary votes. The Popular Party, Vox and the Catalan party Junts voted against them. The Popular Party argued that the crisis should be solved by building more housing and not by new restrictions on the rental market.
Public anger has also been heightened by the case of Maricarmen Abascal, an 87-year-old disabled woman who was evicted from the apartment she had lived in for nearly 70 years. The fund that bought the apartment reportedly demanded a 230% rent increase. Her case has become a symbol of the protests.
Most of the rallies were held without incident, but in Valencia there were clashes with the police. The security forces used tear gas and rubber bullets, while a group of protesters temporarily entered the “City of Arts and Sciences” complex. The protests increase the pressure on the Sánchez government, while some Spanish media have reported that the failure of the housing package could also lead to the debate on early elections.
