Thousands of protesters have taken them to the streets of 40 Spanish cities, demanding solutions to what they called the country’s worsening housing crisis.
Organizers of the demonstration, a collection of tenant rights, neighbourhood movements and other social rights groups, have accused the government of “turning housing into a business model.”
“Fear has changed the aspect. We are not going to demand more changes. We are organized and we have a plan for renting,” said one of the groups leading the protest.
The massive protest marks a milestone as it is the first to be held simultaneously in many locations, 10 years after the massive protests protested against evictions.
Major streets across Spain, including the Madrid capital, became orange and green on Saturday – the distinctive colours of the movement.
“This demonstration comes after months of consultation. Everyone wanted to come out at the same time and paralyze the nation. The idea is that it will be the first day of a new wave of protest,” one of the protesters said.
Some of the protesters’ demands include an immediate drop in rental prices with a cut of up to 50%, a revamp of 3.8 million vacant homes and a ban on eviction of vulnerable families.
Caused by protests in the Canary Islands
Massive mobilization in response to the housing crisis first began in the Canary Islands last year. There, residents were taken to the streets to demand a “sustainable” tourism model and denounce the lack of housing solutions.
“Housing is a luxury within the reach of a very small number of families,” said Tenerife’s Tenant Union.
The initiative was then supported by its slogan, “Malaga is not about survival, not about living.” It was followed by Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, and Bilbao.
According to the Spanish Association and Group of Tenants, housing situation has reached a significant level, with rents reportedly increasing by more than 18% over the past two years.
In some tourist areas, such as Ibiza, rental prices often exceed 100% of normal salary, while in other areas, such as Caceres, “it increased by 17% in the city and 27% at the state level last year.”
Large-scale tourism and real estate speculation
Rents in Spain have doubled over the past decade due to the history of real estate speculation and the lack of newly completed, affordable housing.
A group called “The urban model is banishing neighborhoods because the tourism industry is taking advantage of our neighborhoods,” a group called “Valènciano està nvenda” (Valencia is not for sale).
In areas such as the Canary and Balearic Islands, the situation is particularly severe due to geographical restrictions and tourist pressure.
“We are facing an unprecedented housing emergency. Evictions, affordable rent, and housing speculations do not have access to this fundamental right,” the Canary group warned in January.
Organizers of Saturday’s protest say they are confident that the nationwide demonstration will have a major impact on Spain’s struggle for decent, affordable, sustainable housing rights.
According to the Spanish government, at least 600,000 apartments are needed to deal with the situation, which is called a “social emergency.”
