The demonstration for the right to housing held this Saturday in Valencia has ended with five people arrested and nine National Police officers injured, according to the balance provided by police sources. The incidents occurred at the end of the route, in front of the Palau de Les Arts, where the Valencia Real Estate Summit 2026 was taking place, a meeting dedicated to the real estate sector and investment. Some protesters tried to overcome the device that protected access to the building and clashes occurred with the riot police.
According to the police version, the officers were injured by the throwing of fences, cobblestones, and pyrotechnic material. Among them is the chief of one of the riot groups, who suffered a fracture in an arm, according to information released by Cadena SER. The police arrested five people in connection with these incidents.
Tension upon arriving at the Palau de Les Arts
The march had begun at 11:00 AM at the Porta de la Mar and was called by the Sindicat de Llogateres de València, Entrebarris, the Plataforma de Afectados por la Hipoteca, and the Sindicat d'Habitatge de València. The participants demanded measures to facilitate access to housing, stop evictions, and limit real estate speculation, in a day of mobilizations that has spread across numerous Spanish cities.
The main moment of tension came when the head reached the Palau de Les Arts. A police cordon prevented access to the building, but a group of protesters knocked down some of the fences and managed to breach the perimeter, with several participants accessing the premises. The police then intervened to regain control of the access points.
The riot police used rubber bullets, smoke bombs, and police charges to disperse those trying to advance. Some of the protesters managed to reach the terrace of the first floor of the Palau de Les Arts before being evicted. Subsequently, a sit-in occurred at the roundabout leading to the building, with hundreds of participants showing their keys and chanting slogans related to the right to housing.
A real estate congress, symbolic target of the protest
The choice of the Palau de Les Arts as the end of the route was directly related to the celebration inside of the Valencia Real Estate Summit 2026, a forum that brings together professionals from the real estate sector, investment, entrepreneurship, and business management. The organizers had positioned the meeting as one of the symbols of the housing model that they question and demanded that properties cease to be treated fundamentally as investment assets.
During the march, banners against speculation and evictions could be seen, and calls were heard to promote a general strike. The organizing groups have intensified that proposal after Congress rejected two government decrees on housing this Friday, a vote that counted with the opposing votes of PP, Vox, Junts, and UPN.
The incidents in Valencia contrasted with the mostly peaceful development of the mobilizations held this Saturday in other cities. Reuters estimates that tens of thousands of people have taken to the streets in more than fifty Spanish towns to demand measures against the housing crisis.
Podemos demands explanations for police action
The intervention of riot police has also provoked a political reaction. Podemos has registered a series of questions directed at the Government regarding the deployment and actions of the National Police during the confrontations, according to 20minutos. The party wants explanations about the use of riot control material during the protest.
For their part, police sources maintain that the action occurred after some of the attendees broke the security cordon and threw objects at the officers. The images and testimonies circulated during the day show charges and the use of rubber bullets and smoke bombs, as well as the throwing of barriers during the confrontations.
After the eviction from the Palau de Les Arts, a portion of the attendees maintained a sit-in for a time in front of the police deployment before dispersing. The provisional balance leaves five detained and nine injured police officers, in addition to a housing protest that ended marked by altercations that shifted the focus from the demands with which the march had begun.