This Saturday, Madrid was the main scene of the housing protests called in more than 50 Spanish cities. The Tenants' Union has put the number of people who participated in the march in the capital at 500,000, while the Government Delegation lowers it to around 70,000.
Four columns of protesters left around 12:00 p.m. from the Plaza de España, the Emilio Castelar roundabout, Atocha and the Hospital de la Princesa to converge shortly before 2:00 p.m. in the Plaza de Cibeles, under the slogan “Towards the general strike.” The mobilization has taken place without incident.
The call comes a day after Congress overturned the two royal housing law decrees promoted by the Government. The first, which included measures against the evictions of vulnerable people and an extension of rents, was rejected by 178 votes to 172; the second, on automatic renewal of contracts, fell by 184 votes to 166.
The spokesperson for the Madrid Tenants' Union, Valeria Racu, has assured that the general strike for housing will arrive "soon" and has warned that the movement will not accept another four years without measures against the residential crisis. Among the demands of the mobilizations are a 50% reduction in rents, indefinite contracts and the expropriation of homes in the hands of investment funds.
In Valencia, the protest called by four groups has ended with incidents in front of the Palau de les Arts, where the Valencia Real Estate Summit 2026 is being held. According to EFE, several protesters have torn down the fences of the police cordon and have accessed the terrace on the first floor of the building.
The Police have responded with rubber balls, smoke cans and charges to evict the attendees, who subsequently started a sit-in at the entrances to the venue. Hundreds of people remained in the area showing keys and chanting slogans in defense of the right to housing.
In Santander, between 2,000 people, according to the Government Delegation, and 5,000, according to the organization, have demonstrated from the Government Delegation to the Housing Department and Plaza Porticada. The march, called by the Cantabria Housing Union, concluded without any altercations.
The participants have demanded a general strike and have attacked rentiers, investors and the administrations. The citizen movement of Plaza Porticada has also confirmed that it will maintain the camping set up in that space, where there are already more than 40 tents.
The entities organizing the demonstration in favor of housing scheduled for this afternoon in Barcelona and L'Hospitalet de Llobregat have decided to suspend the protest due to adverse weather conditions.
Given the heavy rains expected this afternoon on the coast of Barcelona, the Llogateres Union has assured in a message on its social networks that they are changing the date of the demonstration to next October 5, which will take place in Plaza Urquinaona in Barcelona.
