At 7pm, the only visible trace of the month-long camp in Puerta del Sol was adhesive tape on the plaza’s lampposts and poles. The tents and belongings had been removed after police cleared the site overnight from Monday to Tuesday, 3 November. The encampment began on 26 September, after an 87-year-old pensioner was evicted from her lifelong Madrid home following a substantial rent increase by the property’s owner. It remained in the square for more than five weeks.
About 500 people then marched along Calle de Alcalá from Sol to Cibeles and back, protesting against evictions and the police operation. Demonstrators described the clearance as violent and chanted “Vergüenza me daría ser policía” (“I would be ashamed to be a police officer”; translated from Spanish). The camp had become a prominent symbol of Spain’s housing crisis, with protesters focused on rising rents and housing shortages, as well as evictions.
The march passed without incident. Some participants wanted to stay longer at Cibeles and confront police, but most favoured dialogue with officers and avoiding direct conflict. The crowd also chanted “Un desalojo, otra ocupación” (“One eviction, another occupation”; translated from Spanish), signaling that the protest would continue after the camp was dismantled. Reuters reported that most protesters had already left voluntarily before the clearance, during which authorities said 334 people were removed and two were arrested on suspicion of disobedience and resistance.
The clearance involved 220 National Police officers and 180 Madrid Municipal Police officers, along with firefighters and social-services personnel. Madrid’s government delegation said the operation was intended to protect people and property and restore ordinary public use of the square; authorities described it as peaceful, while activists characterized it as violent. The peaceful return to Sol differed from the clashes reported during a separate protest in Palma, covered in an earlier report. In Madrid, several hundred people sat facing police in the square for about an hour. The mood was light, with participants joking; one ironically urged others to bring out hidden tents and camp again.
Protesters also asked “¿Dónde están nuestras tiendas?” (“Where are our tents?”; translated from Spanish). The march included a minute of silence in honour of Maricarmen. Before the demonstration, tourists had returned to photograph themselves by the bear and strawberry tree statue, which remained behind a security barrier; meanwhile, city workers painted a lamppost black.
The encampment’s political repercussions extended beyond Madrid: Reuters reported that the protest contributed to Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s decision to call a snap general election for 29 November 2026. Further housing-related action was also planned, including a general strike scheduled for 11 November.
