70,000 March in Madrid as Spain's Housing Crisis Sparks Strike Call
The Madrid tenants' union claimed a far higher figure of 500,000. Four columns of marchers converged on Cibeles Square, part of more than 50 demonstrations called nationwide.
The unrest was ignited by the eviction of Maricarmen, an 87-year-old Madrid woman, which triggered a weeklong encampment in Puerta del Sol Square. Protests and camps then spread to other Spanish cities. Spanish media reported that Maricarmen will be able to return to the home she has occupied for seven decades after reaching an agreement with the property company.
Mounting pressure pushed Spain's left-wing coalition government to adopt two decrees that strengthened tenant protections and curbed evictions, along with restrictions aimed at so-called "vulture funds" purchasing residential properties. Parliament rejected both decrees Friday.
In Valencia, the central government's regional delegation counted more than 6,000 demonstrators. Media reported that police fired tear gas and rubber bullets after some protesters breached barriers outside a real estate investment forum. Authorities estimated a further 5,700 people took part across four Canary Islands. Barcelona's march was pushed back to Monday evening because of weather warnings.
Organizers are reportedly negotiating with labor unions to call a general strike as soon as possible. Gonzalo Alvarez, a spokesperson for the tenants' union, told Cadena SER the aim was a "general strike over housing that brings the country to a complete standstill, so that organized action changes everything."
The political fallout is also deepening. Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez is weighing early elections after the conservative Popular Party, far-right Vox and Catalan separatist Junts helped defeat the housing measures, Spanish media reported. Media, citing sources close to Sanchez, said no final decision had been made as of Saturday, while Spain's state-owned public broadcaster reported he was considering an early vote this weekend.
Popular Party leader Alberto Nunez Feijoo called on Sanchez to call elections after the defeat, while accusing the government of exploiting the housing crisis for electoral purposes.
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