More than 50 protests are planned across Spain after Congress rejected two housing decrees. Madrid's camp remains active as tenant groups prepare a campaign for a general strike.
Congress rejected two government housing decrees on 2 October. More than 50 demonstrations are scheduled across Spain this Saturday. In Madrid, protesters are still gathered near the Puerta del Sol camp while Pedro Sánchez considers whether to call early elections. Reuters reported that tens of thousands of people joined protests in Madrid and other Spanish cities.
The Sindicato de Inquilinas is leading the campaign. Its demands include a 50% cut in rents, permanent rental contracts and the expropriation of homes held by investment funds. In Madrid, four columns began moving toward Cibeles shortly after midday. Their slogan was "Hacia la huelga general".
The rejected housing package included measures to protect vulnerable tenants from eviction, extend rental contracts and regulate tourist and room rentals, alongside restrictions affecting purchases by investment funds.
The vote has become the movement's immediate political trigger. Both government decrees failed on 2 October, putting more pressure on Pedro Sánchez. BBC reporting said the package covered eviction protections, measures for large investors and rules for tourist housing.
Valeria Racu said the mobilisation was inspired by Maricarmen and her refusal to accept the loss of her home. The 87-year-old Madrid resident was evicted on 23 September. Social pressure will allow her to return. Racu accused Congress of being controlled by rent-seeking interests. She said lawmakers were out of touch with the position held by a majority of people on the housing crisis.
The dispute is spreading across regions. In Catalonia, housing activists are preparing an afternoon march in L'Hospitalet de Llobregat. Organisers expect it to be the largest protest in the region. They have called on trade union company committees, neighbourhood associations and university groups to join. More demonstrations are planned in Girona, Badalona and smaller towns around Barcelona.
After the parliamentary defeat, the campaign shifted from isolated marches and a Madrid encampment toward coordinated regional mobilisation. The next major test is whether tenant organisers can reach agreement with labour unions on the proposed nationwide housing strike; no date had been set at the time of the reports.
The employers' side has already drawn a line around the strike proposal. Antonio Garamendi, president of Spain's CEOE, said he respected the housing protests. He also said he would act if a general strike were called because he considered such action illegal.
The Sol camp began on the night of 26 September after a demonstration over Maricarmen Abascal's eviction. By the following week, organisers said more than 1,000 people had passed through the site. They also said there was no room for more tents. The assembly discussed extending the camp toward Callao if more people arrived. Some participants said the camp could continue while activists returned to their neighbourhood work.
The Sindicato de Inquilinas de Madrid has chosen to move part of its work away from the square. Racu said the union's presence would be smaller but would not disappear if the camp continued. Alicia del Río told the assembly that many members needed to return to regular union work in neighbourhoods. That is where housing pressure is felt directly.
The strategy changes the protest from a fixed camp into an organising operation. Racu and Del Río say the union will meet other trade unions and organisations in the coming days to discuss a general strike. Earlier coverage showed a sharp dispute over turnout between official figures and organisers' figures. Euronews also described the strike as a proposal that still depends on talks with unions. No action has been called.
The camp stayed open. The decrees failed in Congress, demonstrations are multiplying and the union's reduced presence has not ended the protest. The demands now go beyond rent relief. They also call for a different housing policy model.
The proposed strike has not taken place. No date has been announced. Garamendi's warning shows that the idea has already reached a direct confrontation with employers. Sánchez's consideration of an early election adds a national political backdrop, but it does not change the movement's stated demands. For now, the campaign's strongest leverage lies in linking Madrid's eviction struggle with organised action in neighbourhoods across Spain.
