Tens of thousands of people cry out for housing in Madrid: "The politicians' time is over"

MadridWhile Pedro Sánchez considers whether to call early elections in the State, tens of thousands of people have taken to the streets of Madrid and other cities across the State to demand solutions to the housing problem. The Congress's rejection of the anti-eviction decrees and the extension of rental contracts has ignited the Spanish capital, from where 70,000 people according to the Spanish government delegation and 500,000 according to the Madrid Tenants' Union, have launched proclamations against political inaction and called for a general strike. "The time for politicians is over," proclaimed Valeria Racu, one of the spokespersons for the organization that called the protest and has been at the forefront of the mobilizations in recent days, during a media briefing.

From the Tenants' Union, they have warned that "power is now in the street" after having noted that "eight days in the street have done more than eight years" of progressive governments. The encampment at Puerta del Sol, for which this entity is no longer responsible after it became overwhelmed, also continues indefinitely with the determination to bring about some change. Madrid was the scene of the largest protest, but it was not the only one, as the calls by the Tenants' Union this Saturday were in more than fifty cities across the Spanish state. The one in Barcelona, however, which was to be held in the afternoon, had to be cancelled due to the forecast of rain. It will finally be held on Monday, October 5th, at 7 p.m. at Plaça Urquinaona.

While these protests could be the driving force for a change in strategy by the Spanish Prime Minister with a hypothetical announcement of elections before the end of 2026, proclamations against Sánchez's executive were heard at the demonstration. The criticisms, in fact, were directed generally against the political class and against a "Congress hijacked by rent-seeking," in the words of Racu. Despite the disappointment with the progressive government, the main proclamations were directed against the Madrid regional president, Isabel Díaz Ayuso, and the Mayor of Madrid, José Luis Martínez-Almeida, as well as against Junts and its spokesperson in the lower house, Miriam Nogueras. "We have the keys to all of Madrid," the protesters warned, jangling their house keys as a sign of protest over housing prices while the threat of a rent strike also resonated. "How long can you hold out if we all stop paying you?" they shouted in reference to the landlords. The demonstration lasted more than two hours in four different columns that advanced at a slow and calm pace to the Plaza de Cibeles.

Among the protesters there were people of all ages with a shared concern about the difficulty of accessing affordable housing. "Madrid for the gatos [the colloquial term used to refer to people from Madrid], vultures out" is the slogan on the banner with which Ester and Carla, 23 and 25 years old, arrived at the demonstration. Residents of Vallecas and Vicálvaro, districts in the south of the city, explained to ARA that they still live with their parents because they cannot afford rent. "There is no way out, it is unsustainable and no party cares about it. You no longer know who to trust," they complain, although they assure that they would go to vote in the event of early elections with a very clear idea of "who not to vote for," in reference to the right. Another young woman, Andrea, 23, from the San Blas district, chose a banner against Ayuso to attend the protest. She has also not been able to move out of her parents' home and has been camping in Sol for days. All three agree in celebrating that part of the citizenry is finally mobilizing.

Also celebrating this mobilization, especially that of the young people, is Mireia, a 70-year-old Catalan woman who has been living in Madrid for decades. With a property of her own, she expresses concern about the general situation. "What if I wanted to separate? You don't have access to any house," she poses. It is a scenario also brought up by Virtu, a secondary school teacher in San Sebastián de los Reyes, a municipality north of Madrid, who recounts how families from her daughters' school, aged 8 and 11, have to uproot themselves in cases of divorce and rent increases. "They leave to live in other autonomous communities. They are kicking us out of the neighborhoods," she laments. She is wearing a t-shirt in defense of public school at a protest joined by other groups in defense of public services. "It is all related. Housing is so important that it is the first thing we learn to draw," she reflects.