The camp set up in Puerta del Sol has promoted this Thursday the launch of "neighborhood committees" and sector assemblies with the aim of "starting to build" a general strike for housing.
According to the Madrid Tenants' Union in a press release, this initiative seeks to provide "territorial continuity" to the protest through a stable organization by neighborhoods and municipalities that remains active once the tents are removed.
The spokespeople for the camp have explained that, in this first phase, the committees will function as territorial assemblies based in the square of Sol itself. From there, mobilization will be coordinated and pressure will be exerted on the union organizations to officially call for the general strike.
At the same time, the collective has described the Royal Decrees approved by the institutions as "insufficient" and has emphasized that it will not allow the movement to be deactivated.
Sector assemblies in Sol
To activate these new bodies, the organization has called for the first territorial assemblies in Puerta del Sol for the afternoon of this Thursday, at 6:00 PM.
In these meetings, the spokespeople of the unions have encouraged attendees to participate in the demonstration this Saturday, October 3, at 12:00 PM, where they will demand a general strike. The march will take place simultaneously from Plaza de España, Atocha, the Hospital de La Princesa, and the Emilio Castelar roundabout, to converge in Cibeles in a single concentration in front of the Madrid City Hall.
During the assemblies, the messages from the spokespeople have revolved around a feeling of "change in people" who "are fed up with waiting for solutions" and who "will fight until the end" to achieve them.
They have argued that the general strike is already "a reality" and that it is perceived as getting closer every day. They have linked this call not only to the housing emergency but also to problems in healthcare, education, and wages, for which they propose a "unified" response.
"Strikes are not decreed, they have to be built day by day, we have to go to the general strike, take to the streets, stop the country and hit them where it hurts the most," stated one of the spokespeople from one of the assemblies.
The spatial organization of these "neighborhood committees" has been articulated at different points in the square. From the mouth of Montera street, the neighbors from the northern area have gathered, coming from districts and municipalities such as Chamartín, Tetuán, Fuencarral, Tres Cantos, and the Sierra Norte.
The eastern area has concentrated around the statue of the Bear and the Strawberry Tree, where residents from Ciudad Lineal, Moratalaz, Vicálvaro, Alcalá de Henares, and Torrejón de Ardoz have been called. The mouth of Carretas street has been reserved for the southern area, bringing together participants from Villaverde, Carabanchel, Vallecas, Getafe, and Leganés.
Finally, the mouth of Arenal street has been the meeting point for the western area —which includes Aluche, Puerta del Ángel, Móstoles, Alcorcón, and the Sierra Oeste— along with the central area, which has grouped the neighborhoods located within the M-30.
With this network of meetings and committees, the organization aims to consolidate a stable territorial structure that allows extending the housing conflict throughout the region and coordinating the upcoming community calls.