Following the rejection of two emergency housing decrees by the Spanish parliament, tens of thousands of demonstrators mobilized across the country on Saturday. Protesters in the capital, Madrid, and approximately 50 other cities demanded a general strike and meaningful policy reforms to combat the nation’s increasingly unaffordable housing market.
The parliamentary setback on Friday struck down measures proposed by Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s minority left-wing coalition, which includes his Socialist Party and the far-left Sumar alliance. The decrees failed after the right-wing Catalan separatist party Junts aligned with the conservative Popular Party (PP) and the far-right Vox party to block the legislation. Junts argued the proposed changes would negatively impact the housing market.
PP leader Alberto Nunez Feijoo responded to the failed vote by calling for the Prime Minister to hold elections immediately, claiming Sanchez has lost the support of both the streets and the legislature. Meanwhile, reports indicated the Prime Minister was monitoring the scale of the weekend demonstrations to determine his next political steps, though his office has remained silent on the matter.
The current unrest was sparked over a week ago following the eviction of an 87-year-old pensioner from her home in Madrid. In response, hundreds established encampments in the city center to pressure authorities for legislative action. For many participants, the failure of the government to pass reforms reflects a systemic disconnect.
“It’s a shame,” said 26-year-old protester Nando de Anguulo in Madrid. “It only proves that it is us, the people, who have to adapt to the political parties, and not the politicians to what the people want, and this can’t go on like that.”
Valeria Racu, speaking for the Tenants’ Union, described the weekend actions as representing a shift in momentum. She noted that the protests demonstrate “a new energy that we haven’t seen in a long time, and energy that is showing that eight days of people’s power can achieve more than eight years of progressive government.” She added, “Now begins real politics – politics which has always belonged to the people and which will return once and for all to the streets.”
While most rallies remained peaceful with participants holding signs advocating for the “right to a roof,” confrontations occurred in the southeastern city of Valencia. There, police deployed rubber bullets and tear gas to disperse crowds. During the incident, roughly 30 protesters briefly occupied the City of Arts and Sciences, a major cultural landmark, before being removed by law enforcement. A landmark cultural building, before police ousted them, about 30 protesters managed to get inside the City of Arts and Sciences.
