The three days we spent in Madrid left us in the middle of activists expressing different social demands on the streets of the city.
Thousands of right-wing, anti-immigrant demonstrations on the first day; “Spain belongs to the Spaniards,” he shouted. On the second day, left groups demanding "equality in education" were on the streets.
The demands of opposing groups were rising one after the other in the same city. There was also a tent camp set up to address the housing problem that had been going on for more than a month, and that was the place that impressed us the most among what we saw in Madrid. The real story was “staying” there!
One of the squares that those who come to Madrid, the capital of Spain, cannot miss is Sol Square (Puerta del Sol, Gate of the Sun). This is a square that witnessed many breaking points in the country's history. The left is not just a square, it is a memory that witnesses the celebrations of kings and the rebellions of the people...
When the calendar showed May 15, 2011, thousands of people camped in this area against the economic crisis and the political system. The square became the symbol of the "Furies" movement. Their demands were also consistent with today's: Standing against increasing unemployment and futurelessness in the country, and against exploitation!
26 October; We are in Sol Square. We are a frequent destination for those who want to see the "Bear and Strawberry Tree" statue, which is one of the symbols of the city, the famous clock tower, and the "zero" point, which is considered the symbolic center of the country.
We come across a "tent camp" set up with blue tarpaulins and giant banners almost covering the square. Soon, the curtains of a different world are opening: A communal life built with solidarity... This is the camping area established right opposite the Madrid Autonomous Region Presidency Building, which is the focus of the protests of the protesters against the growing housing crisis in Spain. The story began when 87-year-old Maricarmen Abascal was forcibly taken out of her house, where she had lived as a tenant for 70 years, on a stretcher. Abascal's removal from his home triggered anger, and protests spread to the streets. Unfortunately, the iconic Abascal passed away in the hospital where he was taken on October 7. The masses filled Sol Square. Before Abascal's farewell, reactions to both Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and the right-wing Madrid Autonomous Region President Isabel Díaz Ayuso opened the door to criticism that goes beyond "narrow political" preferences. Increasing waves of protests led socialist Sanchez to call early elections on November 29.
IN MEMORY CORNER
The memorial corner created for Abascal is located right in front of the Madrid Autonomous Region Building. Candles and flowers complete Abascal's photo. We are curious about the inside of the camping area, which was established with the slogan "There will never be another Maricarmen". However, we are holding back because of the warnings "This is not your touristic entertainment, please do not take photos". Every tent became someone's shelter. It's like a miniature of a house. Books, newspapers, beds, tables, music players, photographs and even flowers. Guitar players, singers, lively conversations, mostly young people but Spaniards of all ages...
Our eyes are drawn to messages pinned everywhere. It's not just a housing problem; this place has turned into a camping area where people who have something to say meet. Everywhere was filled with messages on many social issues, from the massacre in Palestine to equality in education, human rights, the immigrant problem, harassment and lawlessness. Communal life in Madrid remained so until it was dispersed 38 days later, on November 3.
We move from Madrid to Barcelona. A tent city similar to the one in Sol Square was also in Catalonia Square. One of the most shocking sentences in this camp was "Your Airbnb was my home." The focus of the reactions was on landlords evicting their tenants and opening their homes to short-term tourists in order to earn more money. In Barcelona, which attracts many more tourists than its population, the "spraying of water with water guns" on tourists in previous years was apparently the bottom wave of the reaction to "daily houses"...
