Protesters have entered a third day of camping outside the Madrid regional government, rallying against the eviction of an 87-year-old woman and calling for stronger tenant protections as housing shortages and soaring rents deepen the crisis.
Anger surged last week when police carried Maricarmen Abascal out of her Madrid home on a stretcher. The 87-year-old had lived in the apartment for more than 70 years before officers enforced an eviction order obtained by the investment fund that had purchased the property.
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Hundreds gathered outside the building and clashed with police, while Spain’s leftist central government criticised the centre-right regional administration for failing to stop the eviction.
By today, hundreds of tents had spread across the central Puerta del Sol square, reviving memories of the 2011 protests, when activists occupied the site for a month to oppose austerity measures introduced during the global financial crisis.
Marchers rattled keys and carried banners bearing slogans such as “Speculators go home” and “Housing is for living”.
Dozens of tents have been pitched at Puerta del Sol in Madrid
As night settled over Puerta del Sol, where the office of Isabel Diaz Ayuso, the centre-right president of the Madrid region, is located, dozens of activists erected tents. Their numbers have continued to rise since.
Additional demonstrations were due to take place across Spain today, according to the Tenants’ Union, which has been organising the protests.
Yesterday, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said the government was working to pass a housing decree through parliament by tomorrow, promising immediate relief for tenants.
Average rents have doubled over the past decade, rising far faster than salaries.
Spain faces a housing shortfall of 750,000 homes, according to the central bank. Just around 120,000 homes are built annually — one-sixth of the pace recorded before the 2008 financial crisis.
On Friday, Ms Ayuso accused Mr Sanchez’s government of failing to tackle the housing crisis during its eight years in power.
