A huge rally of protesters erupted in Spain over housing crises after the government failed to pass emergency housing legislation.
Tens of thousands of demonstrators flooded the streets of Madrid and dozens of other Spanish cities, intensifying nationwide anger over soaring property costs and a mounting housing affordability crisis.
“There is a lot of anger in the streets,” a spokesperson for the Valencia Tenants’ Union said. Clashes have taken place between some protesters and police in the city.
The mass mobilization erupted just a day after parliament voted down emergency government measures aimed at protecting renters, dealing a severe political blow to Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s minority administration.
The legislative defeat followed mounting public outrage over the high-profile eviction of an 87-year-old pensioner from her Madrid apartment, which catalyzed weeks of tent-city occupations and widespread protests.
The rejected emergency package included proposals for automatic lease renewals and stricter barriers against evicting vulnerable tenants, which were struck down by opposition parties.
With government estimates placing turnout at roughly 70,000 in Madrid alone—and organizers claiming hundreds of thousands more nationwide—labor unions and tenant syndicates are facing mounting pressure to organize a general strike to force sweeping market reforms.
The escalating crisis has simultaneously fueled speculation over whether Sánchez’s coalition can survive, with opposition leaders pushing for early general elections.
