Tens of thousands of people took to the streets in Madrid and other Spanish cities on Saturday, stepping up demands for action on the country’s housing crisis after parliament rejected government measures aimed at protecting renters and addressing rising housing costs.The protests followed Friday’s defeat of the emergency measures, which had been introduced after the eviction of an 87-year-old woman in Madrid triggered widespread public anger. Some protesters in Madrid carried posters calling for a general strike.Around 70,000 people participated in the Madrid demonstration, according to the Spanish government. Protests were also held in around 50 other cities.“It’s a shame,” said Nando de Anguulo, 26, who joined the Madrid protest.“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”, Angulo added, as quoted by Reuters.
Housing measures rejected in parliament
The government measures included provisions aimed at preventing the eviction of vulnerable people, discouraging property speculation and providing tax incentives to encourage renting.A second decree sought to make residential leases automatically renewable by tenants, according to news agency AP.The measures were rejected after the Catalan separatist party Junts voted against them, alongside the centre-right Popular Party and far-right Vox. Other smaller parties also opposed the second decree.Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez had appealed to lawmakers to approve the measures, describing them as necessary during a five-hour parliamentary debate.“What is behind these decrees is the desire to instill order and a sense of humanity in a market that if we do not rein it in will destroy our society,” Sánchez said.“What is behind these decrees is the desire to instill order and a sense of humanity in a market that if we do not rein it in will destroy our society,” Sánchez said.Sánchez concluded his appeal by telling lawmakers: “Do the right thing, or history will judge you, and sooner than you think”.The defeat has also triggered speculation in Spanish media that Sánchez could call an early election in November, ahead of the election scheduled for next year.
Rent costs have nearly doubled in a decade
The protests have highlighted the wider pressure on Spain’s housing market, where rents have risen sharply over the past decade.The average rent in Spain has almost doubled in the past 10 years, while the average price per square metre increased from 8.20 euros in 2016 to 15.1 euros this year, according to real estate website Idealista.Spain’s government has said 26 per cent of people who rent spend an average of 40 per cent of their income on rent and utilities, compared with an EU average of 18 per cent of renters.Government-owned rental housing accounts for less than 2 per cent of Spain’s available housing stock, compared with an EU average of 8 per cent.The housing crisis has particularly affected people who cannot afford to buy homes and are dependent on the country’s relatively limited rental market.
Eviction of 87-year-old woman sparks protests
The latest wave of demonstrations followed the eviction of María del Carmen Abascal, an 87-year-old woman who had lived in her Madrid home for seven decades.Around 1,000 protesters had spent the previous week camping at Madrid’s Puerta del Sol, demanding stronger protections for tenants.The company that evicted Abascal eventually agreed to allow her to return to the apartment following public and political pressure. She remained in hospital after being removed from her home on a stretcher, while her lawyer said she was happy to know she would be able to return.The eviction turned Abascal into a symbol of the campaign against rising housing costs, with protesters carrying signs such as “Not even one more Maricarmen!”
Protests spread beyond Madrid
Saturday’s demonstrations were largely peaceful, although clashes were reported in Valencia, where police fired rubber bullets and tear gas to disperse protesters.About 30 protesters entered the City of Arts and Sciences, a landmark cultural complex, before being removed by police. Demonstrations elsewhere were peaceful.The renters association Sindicato de Inquilinas, which has led calls for action, had urged people to join Saturday’s demonstrations and was also pushing for a general strike.The group and other protesters have blamed property speculators for rising prices and have called for stronger measures to protect tenants.The government now faces the choice of pursuing fresh legislation after the defeat of its emergency measures or considering an early election, with Spanish media reporting that Sánchez could be weighing the latter option.
