MADRID, Spain – A large crowd of people have taken to the streets of Madrid and another 50 Spanish cities to demand the right to housing, a day after Congress rejected the two housing decrees approved by the government in various mobilisations convened by the Tenants’ Union. In the capital, 70,000 people according to the Government Delegation and half a million according to organisers packed Madrid’s Plaza de Cibeles.
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The demonstration passed without incident, deployed in four columns that converged on Cibeles under the slogan Towards the General Strike at around 2pm. Organisers called for a general strike, a measure they expect will come soon, and warned that whoever governs, they will not tolerate another four years without tackling the country’s biggest problem because now the legislature of housing truly begins.
The fall of the two housing decrees has dealt a severe setback that has led Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez to open a period of reflection to decide whether to bring forward the general elections. Both the PP and some of the executive’s partners see themselves as prepared for possible elections, while the socialist government still shows no sign of any decision on the matter.
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In Puerta del Sol, the encampment continues to grow, with some 2,000 people gathered after its seventh night and tents spreading to streets adjoining Sol such as Preciados and Arenal.
