Mass protests in Spain over housing crisis after government package rejected

Tens of thousands of people protested in Madrid and other Spanish cities on Saturday, demanding concrete solutions to the housing crisis. The demonstrations took place one day after parliament rejected the package of measures proposed by the government.

The protests took place in around 50 cities and were called by organizations opposing rising rents and the many difficulties involved in finding affordable housing.

Estimates of the number of participants varied. Madrid authorities put the figure at around 70,000 people, while organizers claimed that around 500,000 people took part in the protest.

Demonstrators carried banners and demanded that housing be recognized as a fundamental right. Some of the rallies also featured calls for a general strike to be organized.

“We are demanding a fundamental right: decent housing, stability and conditions that allow us to build a decent life,” a protester in Madrid said. He said he spends half his salary on a small room.

Discontent erupted after the governing coalition led by Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez had presented, the previous day, two decrees containing a series of measures to address the housing crisis.

The proposals included a ban on evictions until 2030, as well as the introduction of rules for short-term rentals and room rentals.

However, the two decrees failed to secure the necessary votes in parliament. The conservative People’s Party, Vox and the pro-independence Catalan party Junts opposed them.

The People’s Party defended the position that the crisis should be addressed by building more housing, rather than through regulations adopted by decree.

Public anger also grew after the eviction of Maricarmen Abascal, an 87-year-old woman with disabilities, from the home where she had lived for around 70 years.

The investment fund that had bought the apartment reportedly sought to increase the rent by 230%. The elderly woman said she could not afford that amount.

Abascal’s story has become one of the symbols of the protests against the rising cost of housing.

In the capital, protesters opposed the growing profits of companies linked to the housing market and called for stronger measures to curb rent increases.

Most of the rallies took place peacefully, but clashes broke out between demonstrators and police in Valencia. Law enforcement officers used rubber bullets and tear gas to disperse the crowd. Around 30 people briefly entered the “City of Arts and Sciences” complex before police removed them.

The protests come at a delicate time for Sánchez’s government. Spanish media have reported that the prime minister may also consider calling an early election in November following the failure of the housing package.