By Sunday morning, about 150 tents stood in Puerta del Sol after around 500 people spent the night there following Saturday's mass protest against Spain's housing crisis. Euronews reported the tent figure, while RTVE and eldiario.es said people began pitching tents on the evening of 26 September. Organisers plan to keep the camp active ahead of the Government's new housing decree on Tuesday 29 September.
The Sindicato de Inquilinas wants the decree to address rising rents and rental contracts, while covering evictions. Its demands include suspending evictions when no alternative accommodation exists and freezing rents. It also wants action against the fraudulent use of seasonal and room-rental contracts, along with indefinite contracts for tenants.
"Without indefinite rental contracts there is no Mari Carmen decree," says Gonzalo Álvarez, a spokesperson for the organisation. He argues that any measure that fails to prevent another case like Mari Carmen Abascal's would be a sham.
Abascal's eviction sparked the protest. She is 87 and had lived in a home in Madrid's Retiro district since 1956, more than 70 years. Reuters reported that she was evicted on 23 September, despite protests outside the property and criticism of the Government.
Her case has led to demonstrations in different parts of Spain. Organisers say the issue goes beyond one pensioner: they want to stop more people from losing homes where they have spent most of their lives.
Tents and blankets filled the centre of Madrid, while banners hung above groups of participants taking part in workshops. Some protesters stayed overnight; others arrived on Sunday morning to show support. The scene recalled the Puerta del Sol camp of 15 May 2011, although the current protest focuses on housing and the Government's promised announcement.
No departure time has been set. Álvarez says participants decided to sleep there again and continue the protest on Monday. The organisation wants pressure to continue until the Government explains what it will approve. It also rejects treating housing mainly as a market asset instead of a basic necessity.
The young people in the camp describe the crisis in plain terms. Fabi spent the night in the square and says low wages and housing costs have made decent accommodation inaccessible. He is also worried that parents and older relatives could be pushed out of neighbourhoods where they have lived for decades.
Duna came to support the camp but could not stay overnight because of work. She says young people see no realistic future and have little faith that officials are listening. Street mobilisation is still necessary, she says; without it, she sees no clear path towards change.
The dispute reaches beyond the younger generation. Alberto belongs to the Sindicato de Vivienda de Carabanchel. He says Mari Carmen's case was the final trigger for anger that had already built in many neighbourhoods. Rents keep rising while wages have not kept pace, and he does not believe one new law can ease the pressure on working-class households.
Alberto wants the camp to grow into a longer mobilisation across Madrid's neighbourhoods. Earlier housing coverage also described the Government's handling of the issue as a political dispute, as shown in earlier housing coverage.
Tuesday's Cabinet meeting gives the protest a deadline, but it does not guarantee a result. The Government is expected to approve a housing-related decree. Demonstrators want it to cover evictions and rents, as well as abusive contract practices, rather than address only isolated emergency cases.
Reuters and ABC News described the eviction as part of a wider housing crisis. They reported calls for stronger tenant protections and action against abusive practices. They also reported demands for a ban on evictions without alternative accommodation.
RTVE and eldiario.es reported sharply differing estimates of Saturday's march: the Sindicato de Inquilinas claimed that 300,000 people took part, while Delegación del Gobierno put the figure at 25,000.
