The approval of the housing decrees by the Council of Ministers has not stopped the encampments called in various Spanish cities. The protests, driven by the eviction of Maricarmen, remain at least until the voting on the measures in Congress scheduled for this Friday and, in some places, are already preparing new mobilizations.
The Puerta del Sol in Madrid concentrates the largest of these protests, with 1,248 tents installed this Wednesday, but the movement has also spread to Barcelona, Sevilla, Cádiz, Málaga, Santander, Palma de Mallorca, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Murcia, and other cities.
The origin of this mobilization is largely found in the eviction of Maricarmen Abascal, 87 years old, who was expelled from the home she had lived in for decades. The case triggered a mobilization that led hundreds of people to settle in Sol and that later spread to other cities.
Madrid maintains the largest encampment in Sol
The concentration at Puerta del Sol continues despite the approval of the housing decree. The protesters consider the measures approved by the Government insufficient and have decided to keep the tents installed until they know the result of the Congress vote.
The Community of Madrid has requested the Government Delegation for the evacuation of the square within 48 hours. The campers, however, have warned that they would return to Sol if they are evicted.
The mobilization in Madrid has also served to organize new actions and assemblies, while participants demand measures that go beyond those approved this Tuesday by the Council of Ministers.
Barcelona prepares for a prolonged protest
In Barcelona, the first tents were set up in the plaza de Catalunya during the night of Monday, after the demonstration called by the Sindicat de Llogateres in front of the Palau de Congressos de Catalunya, coinciding with the presence of the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, at an awards ceremony. The protest gathers more than a hundred people and is organized by neighborhood groups and social collectives.
The participants have decided to maintain the encampment, at least, until Friday and some are considering extending it beyond the voting on the decrees. Among their demands are greater protection against evictions and measures to contain rental prices.
Several camps in Andalusia
The mobilizations have also spread across Andalusia, where the camps in Seville, Cádiz, and Málaga continue.
In Seville, about 40 tents and more than 150 people have set up in the Plaza de la Encarnación, famous for housing the avant-garde monument of the Setas. The participants will decide in assembly whether to maintain the protest over the weekend after analyzing the final content of the decrees and the result of their parliamentary vote.
In Cádiz, more than 300 people remained camped out this Tuesday in the Plaza del Palillero. For now, the Tenants' Union of Cádiz has declared that the camp remains in place in the face of "a farce decree." The groups have also announced a demonstration for this Saturday.
In Málaga, the protest continues in the Plaza de la Constitución where more than a hundred people and about 70 tents have joined the call to promote new mobilizations in defense of the right to housing.
The camp in Córdoba, which had gathered more than a hundred people in front of the delegations of the Junta and the central Government, was lifted this Tuesday. The organizers have announced, however, new demonstrations during the weekend.
Protests also in Santander and Palma
In Santander, about 50 people and a dozen tents remain set up in the Plaza Porticada. The Local Police have warned participants that they may be fined for occupying public space. The organizers have announced that they will maintain the protest and that, in case of receiving fines, they will study ways to assume them collectively.
In Palma, the camp began on Monday in the Plaza de España and the organizers have decided to extend it for at least 20 days. Among their demands are the reduction of rents, stable contracts, protection against evictions, and limits on the purchase of housing by investment funds.
Las Palmas maintains a permanent camp
In Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, the mobilization began after the Council of Ministers approved the decrees. About twenty tents had been set up this Wednesday in the Plaza de la Feria.
The Canary collectives consider that the housing situation on the island is unsustainable and have decided that the protest will have a permanent character. The organizers have asked those who want to join to come with tents, blankets, sleeping bags, and other materials to stay overnight. Around twenty people are demanding measures such as the extension of leases and the activation of tense areas.
