A day at the Puerta del Sol campsite

MadridThe Puerta del Sol in Madrid woke up this morning with the usual hustle and bustle of tourists, but with an unprecedented image not seen for fifteen years: the tents of the protesters for the right to housing have been pitched since this Saturday night in the middle of the square, emulating the 15-M movement of 2011. They intend to stay there at least until Tuesday, which is when they are demanding that the council of ministers presided over by Pedro Sánchez approve a decree-law that solves the housing problem.

What are they asking for? The spokesperson for the Madrid Tenants' Union, Alicia del Río, was in charge of putting it into words this Sunday: "We want indefinite rental contracts," she demanded in statements to the media. "What problem does Pedro Sánchez and the PSOE have with people having a stable life?" she added, and made it clear that, in the Union's opinion, this would be the primary measure of the new decree-law.

In this way, she fired at the socialists, who have been governing the State for eight years while polls stubbornly indicate that the population's main problem is housing. That said, Del Río avoided attacking the minority partner of the coalition directly, Sumar, which is pressuring the PSOE so that on Tuesday a broad decree-law is approved that incorporates what the Tenants' Union is asking for, as well as the "protection of families against evictions." The protesters have dubbed this possible regulation the "Maricarmen decree," since it was the eviction on Wednesday in Madrid of the 87-year-old woman Maricarmen Abascal that triggered the indignation in the streets.

Are we, then, facing a new 15-M? Del Río avoided the question and preferred to compare the movement to the La Canadenca strike, which achieved the eight-hour workday. However, the organizational infrastructure is quite similar to that of fifteen years ago. As happened in 2011 at Puerta del Sol or Plaça Catalunya, the organization has set up a supply center with food and water and has distributed the tents in concentric circles around it. Furthermore, activities are carried out throughout the day. For example, early in the morning there was yoga; at midday this Sunday a protest in favor of public education –which gathered about 20,000 people, according to the Government Delegation–; later, a workshop on non-violent direct action and banner making, and at night a massive letter-writing session for Maricarmen Abascal, the elderly woman evicted on Wednesday.

Competition within the left

The encampment at Puerta del Sol is a social movement that all left-wing parties are already trying to capitalize on in stoppage time for the new Spanish elections next year. Podemos has rushed to support it, and Sumar has too. The PSOE is doing what it can. This electoral competition was evident this Sunday in the Madrid square. A group of young people was arguing with an elderly couple about who was to blame for the situation. "The one who sent the police to carry out Maricarmen's eviction was the Government Delegation, it was the PSOE's fault," a young camper expressed, while the lady replied that he was very wrong: "It was the judge. The one to blame is Isabel Díaz Ayuso," she said, pointing to the presidential building of the Community of Madrid in the same square. In the background, one of the banners presiding over the encampment could be seen: "PSOE and Sumar, responsible for our misery".

For Oliver, who is 25 years old, the blame is "transversal" –although he particularly points to Junts for having struck down several measures in Congress– and he calls for collaboration at all levels of government to solve the problem. Like many other young people camping in the square, he lives with his parents, his salary is not enough to pay rent, and he sees it as impossible to ever become a homeowner. For Victoria, 73, who points mainly to Ayuso, this cannot continue like this either: "Luckily, I have a property of my own, but my grandchildren will have to wait for me to die to have one".

In one of the tents, two 27-year-old girls who spent the night at Puerta del Sol are sitting and talking patiently. "We feel deceived," they confess, as they are part of that generation that was promised that if they worked hard and studied, they would have a better life. Both Adela and Claudia also live with their parents, even though both have degrees and have had stable employment contracts. One studied audiovisual communication, but now works as an administrative assistant, and the other studied marketing and now does projects for documentaries. "The salary isn't enough to move out," asserts Adela, summarizing the problem of an entire generation. They believe the only solution is "one person, one house," and that is why they will stay at Puerta del Sol for as long as it takes.