Across Spain, citizens are demanding action on the housing crisis, taking to the streets to voice their concerns.This article delves into the heart of these protests, examining the key issues driving the demonstrations and the movements pushing for housing reforms. Learn about the demands for rent reductions and greater access to affordable housing in this critical look at the current state of housing in Spain.
galician Streets Demand housing Reforms Amidst Rising Rent Concerns
Across Galicia and the broader Spanish State, citizens mobilized in force on April 5, staging 42 demonstrations to protest real estate speculation and perceived governmental inaction at the municipal, autonomous, and state levels. Demands included rent reductions, indefinite contracts, recovery of vacant properties, and an expansion of public rental housing.
Tenant Unions Lead the Charge
Tenant unions are at the forefront of this movement, advocating for systemic changes to address the escalating housing crisis. The Tenant and Tenant Union of Vigo articulated their stance in a powerful manifesto:
Housing is not a business or a good with which to speculate: it is indeed a right.
This statement encapsulates the core sentiment driving the protests.
A Coruña’s Mass Mobilization
in A coruña, approximately 5,000 demonstrators marched from Plaza de Ourense to Plaza de Maria Pita, the seat of the City Council. This mobilization occurred shortly after the City Council, yielding to neighborhood pressure, requested the Xunta to declare the entire city a “tension residential area.” This designation, as defined by the new housing law, acknowledges the exponential increase in rental prices experienced in recent years.
Donostia Voices Housing Concerns
thousands gathered in Donostia, the only Basque capital to host demonstrations on April 5. Protesters congregated in front of the boulevard, the historical city center, chanting slogans such as Etxebizitzaren Negozioari Ez
(No to the Housing Business) and etxegabetxea Gelditu
(Stop Evictions). the Socialist Union of housing of Euskal Herria, the demonstration’s convener, emphasized that:
The solution to the housing problem will not come from the public financing of the real estate business, but of the struggle organized by effective improvements and the reduction of the benefits of the real estate sector.
socialist Union of Housing of Euskal Herria
Barcelona’s Massive Turnout
Barcelona witnessed a significant demonstration, with the Unionat de Llogateres estimating a turnout of 100,000 people. Protesters converged on Plaza España from various parts of the city and surrounding areas. The rally featured speakers representing striking workers from La Caixa, residents of the Barraquistas de Vallcarca, and members of organized blocks such as the La Moreneta block in Sant Celoni and the Dar Zwina block in Premià de Mar.
Rental Strike Against La Caixa
Àgueda Amestoy, a participant in the rental strike, addressed the crowd in Barcelona, stating, We are on the rental strike in defense of public housing.
Amestoy is among a hundred tenants from Banyoles, Sitges, and Sentmenat who initiated a rental strike against La caixa to prevent the privatization of protected housing and to protest governmental inaction.
Societal Conflict of Interest
The Unionat de Llogateres asserts that:
Before governments that address the problem with warm measures that make the game to the employer, society has gone to say that around housing there is a conflict of interest, and that while it is a business that enriches a few, it impoverishes the vast majority.
Unionat de Llogateres
this perspective underscores the growing sentiment that housing should be a fundamental right, not a speculative commodity.
