Angered by housing shortages, Spaniards take to the streets
dpamadridThousands of people took to the streets across Spain on Saturday to protest the country’s housing crisis, demanding the right to decent housing and better protection for t...
Thousands of Spaniards took to the streets on Saturday to protest the country's housing crisis, demanding decent housing and better tenant protection. The largest demonstration took place in Madrid's Plaza de Cibeles, with crowds gathered shoulder to shoulder. Protesters carried banners and placards, expressing their discontent.
Valeria Racu, spokeswoman for the Madrid Tenants' Union, stated, "Power is back on the streets." She warned, "This is a warning to everyone that we will not tolerate another four years without addressing the issue in our country. This will continue until everything changes." Racu also called for a general strike.
In Valencia, isolated clashes between demonstrators and police occurred, with rubber bullets used to disperse the crowd, according to RTVE. Protests are planned in over 50 cities across Spain, though a rally in Barcelona was postponed due to severe weather.
The protests followed the rejection of two government decrees in parliament aimed at tackling rising rents and evictions. The decrees were introduced after an 87-year-old woman was evicted from her home in Madrid, sparking widespread outrage and initial demonstrations. The failure of these housing-related initiatives has placed Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez's minority government in a serious crisis.
The government has struggled to pass any initiatives since conservative Catalan separatist party Junts withdrew its support just under a year ago.
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