Housing protests spread across Spain after emergency bills fail

Tens of thousands of people demonstrated across Spain on Saturday to demand affordable housing, one day after parliament rejected two emergency bills designed to support renters and prevent evictions. Police estimated that about 70,000 people joined the protest in Madrid, while organisers put the figure closer to 500,000. Demonstrations were also held in around 50 other cities.

The protests followed a week of actions sparked by the eviction of 87-year-old Maricarmen Abascalin in Madrid. A spokesperson for the Tenants’ Union said the demonstrations represented a new public energy and showed that sustained popular action could achieve more than years of government policy. The rejected measures had been proposed by Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s government.

They included automatic renewal of tenancy contracts and restrictions on the eviction of vulnerable tenants. A 26-year-old protester in Madrid told Reuters that the parliamentary defeat showed politicians expected people to adapt to political parties rather than the other way around. Another protester said demonstrators were demanding decent housing, stability and the conditions needed to build a secure life.

Tensions were reported in Valencia, where police used tear gas and rubber bullets after dozens of protesters entered the city’s Arts and Sciences complex. The protesters were later removed. The defeat of the bills has increased pressure on Sanchez’s government as housing costs rise.

Spanish media reported that Sanchez could consider calling a snap election for November, although his office declined to comment on those reports. The demonstrations indicate that housing has become a major political issue, with tenant groups demanding measures that protect renters and address the country’s increasingly unaffordable market.