Mission Statement: to assist the integration of foreign residents living in Spain
By Nina Cook • Updated: 26 Oct 2024 • 13:53 • 2 minutes read
A group of protesters ready to march today in Madrid. Will the government finally listen? | Credit: Archivo Sindicato de Inquilinas
On October 13, 2024, Madrid became the focal point of a massive protest as thousands took to the streets to demand action on Spain’s ongoing housing crisis. The protest, organised by several advocacy groups and supported by a wide array of social organisations, unions, and political parties, aimed to highlight the growing difficulties faced by citizens in securing affordable housing in the capital and across the country.
The protest called for stronger rent controls, increased social housing, and a halt to real estate speculation, which many blame for skyrocketing housing prices. One of the main slogans heard throughout the march was “Vivienda para todos” (“Housing for all”), encapsulating the urgency of the issue. Protesters marched through the city, eventually converging near the heart of Madrid, drawing attention to what many perceive as the government’s failure to effectively tackle the housing crisis.
In recent years, Spain has seen a significant rise in rent and property prices, particularly in major cities like Madrid and Barcelona. This surge has placed considerable strain on residents, especially young people, low-income families, and vulnerable groups, who often find themselves priced out of the market. The situation has been exacerbated by increasing demand from foreign investors and holiday rentals, contributing to limited availability and inflated prices.
According to El País, this protest is one of several that have been held over the past year, signalling growing frustration with the current state of housing policy. Activists argue that the government’s response has been insufficient, with promises of reform not translating into tangible solutions. Measures such as the recently introduced Housing Law, which includes rent caps in certain areas, have been criticised as too little, too late.
Protesters are calling for more aggressive policies to increase the availability of public housing and for greater regulation of the rental market to protect tenants from exploitation. Some also called for restrictions on speculative investments and a shift towards making housing a basic human right, rather than a commodity for profit.
Ainhoa Rebolledo (37, Madrid) came to the march with a group of friends. They painted cardboard keys with inscriptions like “Vultures Out” and “We’re Staying.” The tenant explains what motivates her to be here: “Housing, which is a right, has turned into a commodity so that the wealthy, who have always been wealthy, will inherit dozens of apartments without having to work, while the rest of us will have to hand over our wages to these landlords.”
Some of the protestors in their late-thirties are still living with their parents due to “the excessively high and unaffordable rental prices.” Others, in their fifties, have had to relocate to different parts of the city, leaving behind the homes they’ve lived in for years to move in with friends or family.
As Spain’s housing crisis worsens, protests like this one underscore the urgent demand for systemic reform. Will the government finally listen and implement meaningful change, or will these pleas for affordable housing continue to fall on deaf ears? Only time will tell.
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Nina Cook is a writer, editor, and literary translator, born in England and raised in New Zealand. In 2015 she fell under the spell of coastal Almería, where she continues to cultivate her love for language and literature. Follow her on X: @esoledit
These wingers need to work harder and stop spending money on phones, flashy holidays and eating out 7 days a week.
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