Tents once again blanket Madrid’s Puerta del Sol, as protesters enter a third day of a sit-in outside the regional administration to denounce the eviction of an 87-year-old woman and to press for tougher protections for tenants amid scarce housing and surging rents.
Anger spilled into the streets last week after police removed Maricarmen Abascal on a stretcher from the Madrid apartment where she had lived for more than seven decades, following an eviction order obtained by the investment fund that purchased her home.
Hundreds gathered outside the building and clashes erupted with police, while Spain’s leftist central government criticised the centre-right regional authorities for not stopping the eviction.
By today, hundreds of tents had filled the landmark square, recalling the 2011 mobilisation when Puerta del Sol was occupied for a month by activists protesting austerity measures introduced during the global financial crisis.
On Saturday, around 30,000 people marched through Madrid to protest the treatment of Ms Abascal and other residents forced out of their homes by investment funds.
Demonstrators rattled keys and carried banners reading “Speculators go home” and “Housing is for living”.
Dozens of tents have been pitched at Puerta del Sol in Madrid
As darkness settled over Puerta del Sol — which hosts the offices of Isabel Diaz Ayuso, the centre-right president of the Madrid region — activists erected dozens of tents, and the encampment has continued to expand since then.
The Tenants’ Union, which has been organising the demonstrations, said further protests were expected across Spain today.
Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said yesterday that his government aimed to push through a housing decree in parliament by tomorrow, a measure he said would offer immediate relief to tenants.
Average rents have doubled over the last decade, rising far faster than salaries.
Spain faces a shortfall of 750,000 homes, according to the central bank. About 120,000 are built annually — just one-sixth of the level seen before the 2008 financial crisis.
On Friday, Ms Ayuso blamed Mr Sanchez’s administration for failing to tackle the housing crisis during its eight years in power.
