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Thousands of people took to the streets in over 40 cities across Spain, demanding urgent solutions to what they describe as the country’s worsening housing crisis. Organized by tenants’ rights groups, neighborhood movements, and social rights organizations, the demonstrations have accused the government of transforming housing “into a business model.”
Protests Across Multiple Locations in Spain
“Fear has changed sides: we are not going to demand more changes; we are organized and we have a plan against rentierism,” stated one of the groups leading the protests.
The protests, held simultaneously in multiple locations, mark a significant milestone, coming a decade after mass demonstrations against evictions. Major streets across Spain, including in Madrid, were filled with protesters waving orange and green banners—the colors symbolic of the movement.
“This demonstration comes after many months of talks; we wanted it to be decentralized, for everyone to come out at the same time and paralyze the state. The idea is that it will be the first day of a new wave of protests,” said one of the demonstrators to Euronews.
Protesters’ Key Demands
Among the demands put forth by demonstrators are:
- An immediate reduction in rental prices by up to 50%.
- The revamping of 3.8 million vacant homes for public use.
- A ban on evictions of vulnerable families.
Roots of the Movement
The wave of protests first began last year in the Canary Islands, where residents rallied against what they called an unsustainable tourism model and the lack of affordable housing options.
“Housing has become a luxury within the reach of very few families,” the Tenerife Tenants’ Union stated.
The movement quickly gained momentum, spreading to cities like Málaga under the slogan “Málaga to live, not to survive,” and later reaching Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, and Bilbao.
Rising Rents in Spain and Growing Frustration
According to Spain’s tenants’ associations and housing collectives, rental prices have surged by more than 18% in the past two years.
In popular tourist destinations such as Ibiza, rental costs often surpass the average salary. In Cáceres, rental prices reportedly increased by 17% in the city and 27% at the provincial level within the past year.
Over the last decade, rental prices in Spain have doubled, driven by real estate speculation and a lack of affordable housing development.
“The city model is commodified, expelling the neighborhood, because the tourism industry exploits our neighborhoods,” lamented the group ‘València no està en Venda’ (Valencia is not for sale).
In regions such as the Canary Islands and the Balearic Islands, the issue is particularly acute due to limited space and intense tourism-driven demand.
“We are facing an unprecedented housing emergency: evictions, unaffordable rents, and speculation with housing while the population cannot access this basic right,” warned Canary Islands activists in January.
Government Response
Organizers of Saturday’s protests remain hopeful that the mass demonstrations will pressure the government into enacting meaningful reforms for affordable and sustainable housing.
The Spanish government acknowledges the severity of the crisis, calling it “a social emergency.” Official estimates indicate that at least 600,000 additional apartments are required to mitigate the housing shortfall.
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