Tens of thousands of demonstrators flooded the streets of major Spanish cities on Saturday, demanding stronger protections for renters after Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s left-leaning coalition government failed to push emergency housing legislation through Congress. Roughly 50 marches unfolded nationwide, including in Madrid, Valencia, and Barcelona.
The unrest follows public fury over the eviction of an 87-year-old woman last month who couldn’t keep up with a steep rent hike. That case ignited a wave of protests calling for rent caps, an end to evictions, and restrictions on investment firms—labeled “vulture funds” by officials—purchasing residential property.
In Valencia, tensions boiled over near an arts venue hosting a real estate conference, where demonstrators tore down barricades and hurled objects at police, who fired rubber bullets in response. Local media reported nine officers injured and five arrests.
Madrid saw the largest turnout, though estimates varied dramatically—from 70,000 according to officials to 500,000 per the city’s tenants’ union. Protesters waved apartment keys and carried signs blasting landlords, while some had already been camping out in the central Puerta del Sol square for days. Police also detained three far-right activists who allegedly made Nazi salutes while trying to approach the crowd.
Sánchez’s legislative defeat has fueled speculation he could call early elections, since his governing coalition lacks a parliamentary majority. Tenant groups are now pushing for a general strike.
Read the full BBC report for more details.
Source: 'Anger in the streets': Tens of thousands protest in Spain over housing crisis (feeds.bbci.co.uk).
Image: ra_fus, BY 2.0 (via Openverse).