Daniel Wolfram
The eviction of an 87-year-old woman by an investment firm has sparked nationwide outrage in Spain.
Tens of thousands of angry demonstrators filled Madrid and dozens of cities across Spain on Saturday.
Authorities estimated the main crowd at 70,000 people, while organizers claimed 500,000 joined the rally.
Many of them gathered in Madrid’s central square to demand lower rents and stronger housing rights.
Anger in the streets
The massive turnout followed a major defeat in Parliament on Friday. Lawmakers rejected two government bills designed to put a cap on rent increases and protect vulnerable tenants from sudden evictions.
Renter groups expressed deep frustration with the political stalemate in the capital.
“There is an irreparable disconnect between what the people want and what the parties vote for,” the Tenants’ Union stated, according to The Journal.
Boiling point reached
Public anger has escalated for months as housing prices soar out of control. Real estate portal Idealista reported that average Spanish rents almost doubled over the past decade, while property prices rose 90 percent.
Tensions erupted after 87-year-old Maricarmen Abascal was evicted on a stretcher from her Madrid flat, where she had lived for almost 79 years. An investment firm had purchased the building and tried to raise her rent by 275 percent.
Fierce public outrage eventually forced the company to let Abascal return at a lower rate, but her story gained recognition worldwide. Young people in Spain are claiming that the cost of living is destroying their ability to build a life.
Javier, a 31-year-old solar panel installer, joined the crowds in Madrid. “I spend half of my salary on a tiny room,” he said, demanding stability. “We are demanding a fundamental right.”
Power to the people
Protest organizers believe this weekend marks a shift in Spanish politics. Spokesperson Valeria Racu stated that the protests showed that demonstrators can accomplish more than years of empty government promises.
“Now begins real politics – politics which has always belonged to the people and which will return once and for all to the streets,” Racu added.
The union is calling for a national general strike to push for change.
