Young people lead a protest in Madrid for the right to housing and against rising prices
Young people, tired of the “relaxed” increase in house prices, waved their keychains as a symbol of their outrage on the streets of Madrid this Sunday, in a demonstration whose motto is “Housing is a right, not a business”. They ask for more houses, less speculation.
Tens of thousands took part in the march, which started from Atocha station at noon and ended at the gates of Gran Vía, under the Metrópolis building, an hour and a half later. Dozens of social groups of all genders promoted these demonstrations.
The government delegation, cited by the Spanish newspaper El País, estimates that 22 thousand people were present, but the organizers, namely the federation of residents’ associations, speak of 400 thousand and the tenants’ union of 100 thousand.
The turnout was massive, which reveals the size of the problem. In Spain, 66% of people aged between 18 and 34 still live in a family home, a figure that has risen significantly in the last decade, as in 2010 it was 50%. They are, says El País, people like Nayelhi Avilés, a 23-year-old university student, who pays 525 euros for a small room: “The owners take advantage of a lot of things. They want to charge us 600 euros for a small room”, he laments.
“For some time now, we have observed how this fundamental right to life has become one of the most profitable market niches for banks, large corporations and companies and rentiers dedicated to speculation”, says the manifesto, which was read under the Metrópolis building, on Gran Vía, by actor Juan Diego Botto and two neighbors affected by unique housing problems in Madrid.
The manifesto is a defense of the right to housing against the interests of banks, large companies and rentiers, explains El País. And it holds all administrations responsible for their inaction.
Combat measures proposed by protesters
A set of measures was requested, from imposing the maximum price limits of the state housing law, increasing the public stock of protected rental housing, passing a Madrid housing law, an end to evictions without housing alternatives or the immediate suspension of licenses for tourist apartments in risk areas.
The demonstration was the largest in Madrid on the issue of housing since those held a decade ago by people affected by the mortgage credit crisis. The demonstration now taking place in Madrid has already taken place in other cities in Spain. More than 57,000 people took to the streets across the seven Canary Islands on April 20; more than 10,000 in Mallorca on May 25; 2,000 in Barcelona on 8 June and around 15,000 in Malaga on 29 June. After Madrid, the demonstrations continue: Valencia takes to the streets next Saturday and the Canary Islands on Sunday.
The question that arises after this demonstration of force is whether it will cause public opinion to mobilize to get politicians to act, highlights the article. Protesters want an immediate response from the three administrations involved: the central government, the Madrid regional government and local authorities.
Valeria Racú, spokesperson for the Madrid Tenants Union, demanded the resignation of the Minister of Housing, Isabel Rodríguez, who recently raised the collective’s ire for her statements calling for solidarity with landlords. He also called on tenants to join a rent strike, a measure of civil disobedience, which they consider to be the best solution to politicians’ inaction. “There are so many of us that, if we organize ourselves, we have much more power than any landlord,” he said.
Other collectives have the president of the Community of Madrid, Isabel Díaz Ayuso, in their sights. The general secretary of the Comisiones Obreras-Madrid, Paloma López, accused her of “absolute failure to fulfill her duty”. López, says El País, was referring to his refusal to apply the state’s housing law or what he considers to be his permissiveness with illegal tourist apartments.
Madrilenians’ unease with housing coincides with the rise in prices, which break records month after month. The Idealista platform index indicates that rents are at historic highs in the Spanish capital. The average price of offers in September was R$20.4 per square meter. This means that a medium-sized apartment measuring 75 square meters is being offered for 1,530 euros.
The social consequences of this real estate crisis are dramatic, says El País. The Bank of Spain’s latest annual report, published in April, revealed that 40% of families who rent have difficulty paying their rent and 76% have difficulty buying. The situation could be balanced with more housing supply, but production is almost 90,000 per year, while family creation is at 275,000.
The idea of demonstrating in favor of housing was born in July, during an online meeting of the Platform for the Right to Housing in Madrid. Platform created in 2023 and which brings together large organizations such as UGT, the federation of Madrid residents’ associations (FRAVM) and Amnesty International. Then other groups joined, today there are 39. The most immediate inspiration comes from the mass protests against the impact of tourism on housing in Barcelona, Málaga and Santa Cruz de Tenerife.
