Red stains marked the pavement in La Escandalera, where four people making Nazi salutes attacked housing rights activists camping in Oviedo in the early hours. Organizers said the assault unfolded quickly. Police later confirmed three arrests.
Organizers called it “fascist aggression.” Andrés García, spokesperson for the Sindicato de Inquilinas e Inquilinos de Asturias, described what happened. The group arrived around 1 a.m. and provoked the campers. Then one of them punched an activist in the face, breaking his nose. “The complaint has been filed, our comrade is injured,” García said. The injury was serious.
By the morning after the incident, the number of tents in La Escandalera had doubled to around 40, El Comercio reported.
Video posted by Ama Asturies shows four people making Nazi salutes before police escorted them away. The Sindicatu Vivienda d'Asturies said the same group shouted threats. The attack galvanized the protesters, who called for a public demonstration at 8 p.m. Saturday in the square. Their message: defend democracy and reject fascist violence.
The campers did not back down. After a tense night, they held their first assembly and debated what to do next. By morning, they were determined to stay. Saturday’s plan paired housing advice with a labor-union roundtable, with a banner workshop also scheduled. “We are moving towards a general strike, something we have been preparing for months,” García said. He blamed politicians for inaction. “What happened yesterday in Congress only confirms what we have been saying-there are no real solutions coming from politicians. The answer lies in our own social organization.”
For many, this fight is personal. Álvaro Villegas from Ama Asturias explained how the movement spread after Maricarmen’s eviction in Madrid. “People are no longer alone with this problem. That’s the basic to this camp and this social explosion around housing-people are tired, they’ve had enough, and they want to share their struggle with others in the same situation. That’s when fear disappears,” he said.
El País and La Voz de Asturias reported, citing Policía Nacional sources, that the protest in Oviedo was part of a broader mobilization organized by Sindicato de Inquilinas e Inquilinos de Asturias and Sindicato de Vivienda de Asturias. A major rally was planned for Sunday, October 4, to demand urgent government action on the housing crisis and eviction protections.
Spain’s housing crisis is more than a set of numbers. Villegas, a teacher, has seen students forced out of school after evictions or rent hikes. Friends have left Oviedo, priced out or hit with sudden rent jumps of hundreds of euros. “This affects everyone-working people who need a place to live versus those who profit from housing as a commodity. We’re not talking about someone renting out a single inherited flat, but about vulture funds, banks, and politicians with dozens of properties and massive salaries,” he said.
Alba F. from the Coordinadora Juvenil Socialista said even small wins for workers take huge effort. “As long as housing remains a market commodity and speculation continues, no matter how many royal decrees are passed, this drama will persist,” she said.
The violence in La Escandalera cut deep. When peaceful protest meets hate and fists, the housing fight reaches beyond policy. It touches the kind of country Spain wants to be. The activists are not backing down. Even after threats and injuries, they refuse to be silenced. The crisis is worsening, and politicians have not delivered answers. The movement is seeking to force change where institutions have failed.
