The first night consisted of staying. Sunday has consisted of organizing to continue. The camping by Maricarmen in Puerta del Sol has gone from the improvised tents after the demonstration to a day of assemblies, food distribution, and activities that culminates this afternoon in a festival. Hundreds of people prepare for their second night in the square, with Tuesday marked as the first decisive date for their demands.
The protest has not dissolved with the arrival of Sunday. This afternoon, hundreds of demonstrators continued, while EFE reported on the preparations for a second night. Around that core, the mobilization has incorporated visitors, volunteers, and people who come to participate without necessarily staying to sleep.
More attendance in the afternoon, without a comparable balance of campers
The most visible change comes at the beginning of the night. Between 19:45 and 20:15, there has been a continuous arrival of people to attend the Fuck Rent Fest, the cultural gathering organized in the square, with a concentration of thousands of attendees and the participation of Juan Diego Botto, Carlos Bardem, and Marwan.
The media have estimated more than 100 and up to 500 people who have spent the night in Sol. That reference corresponds to the start of Sunday, not to an official participation balance throughout the day.
The conclusion that the available information allows is more concrete: the camping maintains a core of hundreds of people and expands its call throughout the day. How many will stay after the music will be the next test of its continuity.
From tents to the organization of a square
Sunday has served to turn permanence into a collective task. There are four central tents from which supplies, waste, and activities are coordinated. There are also new additions to the Tenants' Union during a welcome assembly and a food arrival that has exceeded the needs of the moment.
Solidarity thus has a practical expression: feeding those who remain, organizing the spaces, and facilitating the incorporation of other people.
A tarp has also been set up in anticipation of rain and a schedule with workshops for banners, yoga, and assemblies. Tamara Carrasco, from the Tenants' Union, summarized her perception of the day to the media: "We are more and more."
In that combination of camp, assembly, and cultural activity, the memory of 15M reappears. The similarity is in the place and in some ways of organizing the protest. Its political reach, however, cannot be established in writing after just one night.
Sánchez points to Tuesday and Díaz demands that it not be just any decree
The pressure from Sol has accompanied the messages from the Government this Sunday. Pedro Sánchez has assured that the Executive is working to bring a royal decree on housing to the Council of Ministers on Tuesday. The president has called on the other parties to support a response to the housing emergency and has expressly referred to Maricarmen.
From the other sector of the coalition, Yolanda Díaz has raised the demand regarding the content. At the PCE Festival, the second vice president has called for measures against investment funds and has warned that "any royal decree" is not sufficient for her. She has also encouraged maintaining and intensifying the mobilization. (europapress.es)
The general secretary of UGT, Pepe Álvarez, has also expressed his support for the campers. He has presented Maricarmen's case as the trigger for a much broader housing problem that predates this eviction.
The approval of a regulation and the satisfaction of the demands of the square are not necessarily the same thing. The organizers want to remain at least until Tuesday and link the next steps to the response they receive. The final content of the decree remains, therefore, a central issue.
The City Council demands the restoration of normality in Sol
The continuity of the camp has also opened a confrontation between administrations. The City Council of Madrid has accused the Government Delegation of lack of diligence and has demanded that normality in the square be restored as soon as possible.
The Community of Madrid has directed its criticisms at the Ministry of the Interior and has rejected that any potential eviction be transferred to the Municipal Police.
The test comes after the festival
The balance of Sunday is not that of a protest that has disappeared after the demonstration. Sol retains the camp, adds activity, and attracts more public as evening falls. But the true size of its stable core will be known when the festival ends and another night begins.
Then Monday will come, with the return to work and daily obligations. Maintaining shifts, supplies, and participation during the week will be a challenge different from that of Sunday.
Maricarmen continues to name the mobilization, although the claim already exceeds her case. The square demands a response about rents and evictions; the Government points to Tuesday. Between the two, there is a second night to see how many people turn support into permanence.