For a second night, demonstrators have camped across Madrid’s Puerta del Sol, refusing to leave until lawmakers approve the proposed 'decreto Maricarmen'. The measure is intended to protect tenants from eviction and housing insecurity.
The crowd has grown from a scattered group into a more organized movement, with cultural figures and social groups joining in. The mood is tense but focused. Maricarmen Abascal, still in the hospital, sent a message urging protesters to keep fighting for housing rights. Reuters reported her eviction on September 23, which has become a rallying point. She is 87, and her story has sparked outrage, bringing Spain’s housing crisis into sharp focus.
Estimates of the march’s size vary widely. Government sources put the crowd at around 25,000, while organizers claim up to 300,000 people participated, Telemadrid reports.
Meanwhile, in Ceuta, workers have cleared six tonnes of waste from Playa Benítez after the partial removal of a migrant camp. Dozens of people remain there, while others are still at the Trampolín site. They have nowhere to go. Nearly two months have passed since a mass border crossing. Local residents are tired and want answers.
Tension is rising outside Spain, too. British police have arrested five people accused of planning an attack on a military base in the UK. Officers found three vans packed with explosives. London has not named any group, but British media point to possible Iranian involvement. The targeted airfield is used by US aircraft in the Iran conflict.
The Madrid protest is bigger and more organized than past housing rallies. Anger over Abascal’s eviction has not faded. A tent camp sprang up in the square after the march, Euronews reports. About 100 to 150 tents remain, and hundreds of people are staying overnight.
Protesters are demanding urgent measures: a freeze on rents and automatic contract renewals. They also want evictions banned when no alternative housing is available. The Spanish government aims to bring the housing decree to a parliamentary vote on Tuesday. If consensus is not reached, further mobilization is expected, Euronews reports.
