A night of tension erupted in Oviedo as housing activists camping in La Escandalera reported a violent assault by a group performing Nazi salutes. Three suspects were detained by police. The incident has intensified calls for public action and renewed focus on Spain’s housing crisis.
Red stains on the pavement. A broken nose. The night in La Escandalera was supposed to be about protest and solidarity. Instead, it turned violent. In the early hours, housing rights activists were attacked. Four people showed up, arms raised in Nazi salutes. Organizers say the violence came fast.
Police later confirmed three arrests. Organizers called it “fascist aggression.” Andrés García, who speaks for the Sindicato de Inquilinas e Inquilinos de Asturias, described what happened. The group arrived around 1 a.m. They provoked the campers. Then one of them punched an activist in the face. His nose broke. “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, according to El Comercio.
Video posted by Ama Asturies shows four people making Nazi salutes. Police then escorted them away. The Sindicatu Vivienda d'Asturies said the same group shouted threats. The attack fired up the protesters. They called for a public demonstration at 8 p.m. Saturday in the square. Their message: defend democracy, protect rights, and reject fascist violence.
The campers did not back down. After a tense night, they held their first assembly. They debated their next steps. By morning, they were determined to stay. Saturday’s plan included housing advice, a roundtable with labor unions, and a banner workshop. “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 key 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.
According to several Spanish media outlets citing Policía Nacional sources, 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, with a major rally planned for Sunday, October 4, to demand urgent government action on the housing crisis and eviction protections.
The housing crisis in Spain is not just 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 becomes about more than policy. It’s about what 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 getting worse. Politicians have not delivered answers. The real question now: can this movement force change where institutions have failed?
