500,000 People Take to the Streets in Madrid to Protest the Housing Crisis

Hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets across Spain, calling for a general strike after the Spanish parliament rejected the government’s housing decrees aimed at providing stronger protection for tenants. In Valencia, some demonstrators removed barriers and police cordons and threw various objects at officers. Police responded with rubber bullets and tear gas.

Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez told the opposition, “History will judge you sooner than you think, and more harshly than you imagine,” while the opposition called for new elections.

The eviction of 87-year-old tenant Maricarmen Abascal, which sparked the protests, remains a central issue. Abascal, who was carried out of the home where she had lived for 70 years on a stretcher, is recovering in hospital.

An investment company had sought to increase her rent by 275% after purchasing her home. Following the public outcry, the new owners agreed to allow Abascal to return to her home at a low rent.

Source: Euronews