Thousands of people protested against high house rents in Madrid and Barcelona. Spaniards carried banners that read “End the speculators’ bargaining”.

In Spain, thousands of Spaniards took to the streets in cities like Madrid and Barcelona to protest the housing crisis and high house rents. The housing crisis, which has been one of the Spaniards’ top concerns for the past 10 years, was protested nationwide in over 40 cities for the first time. The demonstrations organized by tenant associations in Madrid and Catalonia, where the housing crisis is most severe, featured banners reading “Let’s put an end to the housing crisis”, “50% reduction in rents and end to speculators’ bargaining”. The largest protests, attended by thousands, were held in Madrid and Barcelona. Tenant associations demanded a 50% decrease in rents nationwide, and if their demands are not met, they called for a rent strike. Valeria Racu, spokesperson for the Madrid Tenants’ Association, who complained about the high prices of housing and rents, said, “We have decided on an indefinite protest”.

Racu stated: We need to go on strike nationwide. Speculators need to be stopped and the government needs to take action. No one should have to leave their home, neighborhood, and city every 5 or 7 years (when it is time to renew the contract). In Madrid, we call half a million households whose contracts end in 2025 to stay at home and resist.”