At 18:30, protesters filled Puerta del Sol for a housing march, making it difficult to cross the square. Participants later moved slowly towards Cibeles and the Ayuntamiento de Madrid.
By 22:00, thousands had gathered around about thirty tents. Riot-control units that had been in the square moved away from its centre as the camp took shape.
The Sindicato de Inquilinas said the tents were meant to “increase the pressure” on the Government. The union also said what happened to Maricarmen must never happen again.
Estimates of the march’s size varied sharply: the Delegación del Gobierno put attendance at 25,000, while organisers claimed 300,000 participants. RTVE and Associated Press described the turnout as tens of thousands.
RTVE, elDiario.es and Público reported that the march continued to the Congreso de los Diputados. Protesters carried keys, which organisers said symbolised the current housing movement.
The crowd shouted “Expropriation of investment funds”, “There will be no peace for rent-seeking”, “The invaders are the vulture funds” and “Whoever isn’t jumping is a rentier”.
The claimed turnout is central to the political message. The Sindicato de Inquilinas de Madrid said more than 300,000 people joined the march, which it described as a joint effort with social groups, trade unions, neighbourhood organisations and other supporting bodies. The figure is disputed.
Organisers called the march a historic moment in the housing struggle and linked it to 26 September, 13 October, 23 November, 5 April and 6 June.
At the former Palacio de Correos, Alicia del Río accused the Ayuntamiento de Madrid of helping investment funds. She pointed to the 2013 sale of social and public homes to Blackstone. The union said the sale laid out “a red carpet” for the fund.
The allegation ties the current mobilisation to a longer dispute over the transfer of public housing and the role of large property investors.
The proposed “Decreto Maricarmen” brings together several of the movement’s basic demands. These include measures to prevent evictions of vulnerable households without alternative accommodation, indefinite rental contracts, rules for seasonal and room rentals, rent freezes and extensions to existing contracts.
Independent reports describe the package as an urgent set of tenant-protection measures, with tighter rules against abuse in the rental market. Landlords would also have to justify not renewing contracts.
These are still demands on the Government, not approved measures. Maricarmen’s case is already basic to the mobilisation.
