The president of the Community of Madrid, Isabel Díaz Ayuso, has quantified this Thursday the economic impact derived from the camping at Puerta del Sol arising from the housing problem at more than 25 million euros, and has warned of the "representational damage" that, in her opinion, it is generating.
During the session of control to the Government in the Plenary of the Assembly, the head of the regional Executive has explained that the businesses in the area have already seen their revenue fall between "50 and 90% of collection" and that there are establishments that previously earned "11,000 euros and are not reaching 1,000 right now."
"They do not understand that this also involves other people. And right now the most important bridges are coming and the Christmas campaign, which is very important, November and December, in the Centro district, and it is also disastrous," she pointed out, referring to the harm for one of the key times of the year for commerce.
Ayuso has emphasized that, although the left finds the camping "amusing," it does not measure the "damage" it causes both to citizens and to the image of Spain and Madrid, especially in a square that, she recalled, "represents all Spaniards." "Because of the loss of heritage, because of the image we give of an uncomfortable, congested city, when it is not true. This is not Madrid by any means," she added.
Although she has acknowledged that it is "normal" for protests to exist, she has stressed that "children cannot be allowed to miss school, people stuck and unable to reach their workplace" cannot be permitted.
The Madrid president has also criticized that "wings" are being given to people who "have no responsibility" and who are, she said, those who are now staying in the tents, since "not even" the unions are continuing to mobilize for the cost of rent.
"They want to lead us to disaster (...) but do not use the interests of all Spaniards for their quarrels or for their businesses, because that is miserable," she denounced.
For his part, the spokesperson for the PP in the Assembly, Carlos Díaz-Pache, has accused the left of encouraging that Puerta del Sol has been "among tapes, garbage, and threats" for nearly a month and has reproached that the Government delegate, Francisco Martín, does not act and has transformed into "the mayor of that Palestinian settlement" that, in his words, has settled there.
"Those who demanded decent housing have turned Sol into an undignified camp," Díaz-Pache has stated, who has even suggested "charging them the IBI" to the campers and, especially, "the garbage fee."
Likewise, he emphasized that the left will have "lived with excitement" the disturbances recorded in France because, in his opinion, there is nothing they like more than "disturbances, violence, broken glass, or looting." "There are no disturbances that give you the prominence that the ballot boxes deny you, lacking support, violence, that's why they call for riots," he concluded.