Thousands protest in Madrid against housing shortage and high rents

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In Madrid, 25,000 people demonstrated against the housing crisis over the weekend, according to Tagesschau. At the center of the anger is also the case of an 87-year-old who must leave her apartment after decades – a fate that has moved all of Spain and is seen as a symbol of the displacement of long-term tenants.

What happened in Madrid?

Over the weekend, 25,000 people took to the streets in the Spanish capital to protest the housing crisis. The demonstration was directed against rising rents and, in the demonstrators' view, the lack of affordable housing in cities.

The case of the 87-year-old

The trigger for the new wave of protests is, according to Tagesschau, the case of an 87-year-old woman who must move out of her apartment after decades. Her fate has moved Spain and is emblematic of a development many fear: that long-term tenants are displaced from their homes by rising rents, expiring leases, or changes of ownership.

Protest camp recalls the Indignados movement

In Madrid, a protest camp has also been set up, recalling the Indignados movement (Spanish: Indignados) of around 15 years ago. The activists are taking up a form of civil protest that already has a longer history in Spain and once brought tens of thousands of people onto the streets.

Housing crisis as a permanent issue

The protests show that affordable housing in Spain's major cities has become an existential question for many people. Spain's government is facing demands for more effective rent-policy interventions – the outcome of the debate remains open.

Report: H.-G. Kellner, Tagesschau.