The wave of indignation over the housing situation does not cease and remains unstoppable. After this Friday the Congress of Deputies rejected the two housing decrees that had been approved by the Council of Ministers, thousands of people - 70,000 according to the Government Delegation and 500,000 according to the organizers - took to the center of Madrid this Saturday to protest the unfulfilled promises, the inaction of the rulers and to continue fighting "against rentism" and the high price of rents. The one in the capital has been the most massive of the day, although the Tenants' Union has organized demonstrations in up to 50 other cities in the country. All of them, moreover, with the same objective: to move towards the general strike.
Irene, 29 years old, is one of the thousands of young people who, together with Sol's camp, have decided to protest in the capital. "We go out to the streets because it is important to be class conscious and that we all have the right to housing," he tells 20minutos along with his partner Ariadna, also 29 years old: "It cannot be that the salary that most young people have, which are not exorbitant salaries, accounts for 70% of the rent. To them we have to add food, expenses... they don't give us the numbers."
Both, like many of those present at the demonstration, live on rent, paying an exorbitant price for their home. And the fact of being owners is something that seems even unattainable to them: "Owning an apartment is something that we see as very distant," says Ariadna. "It's totally impossible," adds Irene. Like millions of Spaniards, this Friday they were attentive to what the Congress of Deputies decided on the decrees. His rejection, however, was felt as "an expected disappointment." "It was seen coming, but there is always a little hope," says Irene.
For all this, they consider that the step now is to go towards the general strike that the Tenants' Union is demanding but, despite everything, they are not very optimistic that the future can change: "Unfortunately, despite all the mobilization that is taking place, it doesn't look like things are going to change much," declares Ariadna. "We are heading towards a general election where I think that unfortunately something much worse is going to emerge than what is happening now. What is coming is really scary," Irene adds in the same way.
Their testimony is similar to that of the thousands who left this Saturday from the four venues organized by the Tenants' Union and who finally ended up in Cibeles, a massive demonstration that occurred without incident and where people shaking the keys to their houses high has once again been the image of the day. Between banners such as 'fair rents' or 'for affordable housing' and shouts for a general strike, the protesters have continued to criticize the management of the last eight years of the Government, but also of the City Council and the Community of Madrid. Likewise, they have once again demanded the automatic renewal of rents or a cap on prices.
"This has been trying to explode for years and it had to explode somewhere," says Colmo, 29, who is upset because the housing problem "has been dragging on for years in Spain." "Vulture funds are part of the problem that has now come to light with the Maricarmen case. This affects us all and there are many citizens of different ideology here," explains Colmo, who has decided to attend the demonstration with his group of friends, all of them also affected by high rents and the impossibility of buying a home.
"The problem of rentierism is something that affects many citizens and not only young people, but many older people. Yesterday I saw on television a 60-year-old woman who still lives on rent. There are people who want us to believe that you cannot live on rent if you are older, or that if you are older and live on rent it is because you can afford it. The truth is that there are many people who cannot afford it with a single salary," he adds.
Disappointment is also visible on his face when he is asked about the rejection of the two decrees: "I think we were all expecting at least the first one...". Now, after this, he wonders what steps are going to be followed: "What we don't know is how this will continue later, if the camp will be lifted or if there will continue to be demonstrations. We have to wait if the elections are called, but those of us who are here are going to continue here standing up and fighting."
"A general strike is needed"
Like the young people, the streets were filled with many families and older people this Saturday. María José, 66, has come to demonstrate "for housing, for healthcare and for nursery schools", but above all to demonstrate for the rent situation: "I have people close to me who cannot continue like this. They either eat or pay," she summarizes.
In his case, he also openly criticizes what happened this Friday in the Lower House: "It cannot be allowed. We are left a little disappointed. It is undignified that people have to take to the streets to demonstrate for decent housing and that they do this to us... everything is outrageous." The path he demands, therefore, is to go to a general strike: "It is necessary."
Marisa, 77 years old, and Francisca, 78, have not hesitated to support the demonstration either. "This had to happen somewhere because everything is now impossible," says Marisa. "We must demonstrate for the vulture funds and for the large landowners," says Francisca, also outraged by everything that has happened these days, especially by the fall of the two decrees: "I felt depressed, we cannot leave the Government unprotected. Right now it cannot do anything if the groups do not support it." "It was almost to be expected, I doubted Junts a little, but it is very clear that they don't give a damn about everything," Marisa asserts.
In order to take more actions, Francisca fully supports the general strike because it is "the only way to demonstrate the strength of the workers", although Marisa recognizes that the national strike "seems a little strong." Still, he will wait to see what the majority unions say. "What I would do is take Sol to the neighborhoods that have this problem to reflect on housing. This has to change and it has to explode somewhere because it cannot be maintained as it is," he concludes.
Another of those who participated in the Madrid demonstration was Noemí, 46 years old, who despite having been the owner for 15 years, wanted to come forward in the same way to denounce the situation experienced by the home. "I know friends, family, my brothers... everyone has to leave their neighborhood and go to the outskirts of Madrid. We are here for that right to housing, because it has to stop being a speculative good; it is a necessary good and it is a right."
