Tens of thousands of people are rallying across Spain to demand affordable housing measures, following the rejection of an emergency relief package for tenants by members of parliament. Demonstrators took to the streets in the capital, Madrid, and about 50 other cities on Saturday, calling for a general strike and reforms to address the country’s increasingly expensive housing market. On Friday, the Spanish parliament voted down two decrees proposed by Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s minority left-wing government that aimed to address the housing crisis.
Nando de Anguulo, 26, expressed his frustration during the protest in Madrid, stating, "It’s a shame. It only proves that it is us, the people, who have to adapt to the political parties, and not the politicians to what the people want, and this can’t go on like that." Valeria Racu, a spokesperson for the Tenants’ Union, noted that the rallies demonstrated “a new energy that we haven’t seen in a long time,” highlighting the impact of eight days of protests.
The movement was sparked by the eviction of an 87-year-old pensioner from her home in Madrid, which led to hundreds setting up tents in the city center to advocate for reforms. Racu added, “Now begins real politics – politics which has always belonged to the people and which will return once and for all to the streets.”
In Valencia, police used rubber bullets and tear gas to disperse protesters, while around 30 individuals managed to enter the City of Arts and Sciences before being removed by law enforcement. Other protests across the country were largely peaceful, with demonstrators holding signs that read “Houses to live in, a planet to inhabit” and “the right to a roof.”
The vote against the housing measures was a setback for Sanchez, who leads a coalition government with his Socialist Party and the far-left Sumar. The measures were defeated after the right-wing Catalan separatist party Junts voted against them, arguing that they would tighten the housing market. Junts joined the main opposition Popular Party (PP) and the far-right Vox party in opposing the measures. PP leader Alberto Nunez Feijoo urged Sanchez to “call elections as soon as possible,” asserting that he lacked support from both the streets and parliament. Spanish media reported that Sanchez would assess the strength of the protests before making any decisions, although his office did not comment on these reports.