Tens of thousands took to the streets of Madrid and other Spanish cities on Saturday as they stepped up demands for action to tackle a mounting housing crisis after government measures were struck down by the Opposition. Some demonstrators waved posters calling for a general strike after measures drawn up to address mass anger over the eviction of an 87-year-old woman in Madrid, and other housing issues, were rejected in Parliament.
"It's a shame," said Nando de Anguulo, 26, who joined Saturday's protest in Madrid. “It only proves that it is us the people who have to adapt to the political parties, and not the politicians to what the people want, and this can't go on like that.”
Spain's crisis mirrors a wider European problem - rising rents, short-term tourist rentals, stagnant wages, and speculation that has made cities unaffordable for youth. The rejected package aimed to stop evictions and address affordability. Its failure has fuelled calls for a general strike. About 70,000 protesters took part in Saturday's demonstration in Madrid, the Spanish government said.
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Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez might call a snap election for November after legislation failed to pass, Spanish media reported Friday, watching the strength of Saturday's protests before making a decision.
For India, watching from afar, Spain's protests are instructive. Indian metros face a different but related crisis - informal housing, eviction of slum dwellers without rehabilitation, and absence of rental housing policy. The Spanish demand is not for free housing but for regulation of markets and protection from arbitrary eviction. The 87-year-old woman's story resonated because housing is not just an economic issue; it is dignity. When 70,000 people say "enough", it is a reminder that markets need a roof of rights, a lesson relevant for India's own urban poor.
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