Wielding a broom and dustpan, Marta García, 60, darted past the edges of tents, sweeping up bits of litter as she passed a poster that read: “What kind of times are these, when we need to defend the obvious?” On Saturday, as tens of thousands of people took to the streets of Madrid to protest against the country’s deepening housing crisis, the retired schoolteacher was among a small group who had sought to take the protest one step further. The shock soon gave way to anger as the octogenarian was shown being brought out of her home on a stretcher, flanked by protesters on one side and police officers on the other. Housing campaigners seized on the moment.
And we’re not going to stop until we change things.” Abascal’s lawyers reportedly reached a deal for her to return home on Monday evening. At the encampment earlier on Monday, many described the days of nationwide protests and the encampment as a turning point in a movement that had long simmered as rents rose by 80% within a decade, while the cost of homes climbed by 63%. People who dream of becoming musicians or barbers should have the chance to do so and not have to worry that they need to work, work, work to pay for housing,” he said.
But not on our fucking homes.” The swelling encampment had prompted a raft of comparisons to 2011, when the Indignados, or 15M movement, began with a month-long occupation of the same Madrid plaza before snowballing into a force that had reshaped Spanish politics. Iglesias, however, brushed off the similarity. On Sunday, Spain’s prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, said his government was “working around the clock to introduce a royal decree on housing on Tuesday”.
The protests have put the Socialist leader in a complicated spot; while his coalition government includes leftwing forces who have long pushed for change, Spain’s fractured parliament means his chances are slim of attracting support for measures that could bring about real change. Still, the momentum has continued to grow across the country, fuelled by the campaigners who occupied the offices of Madrid’s social housing agency on Monday to those in Barcelona who began the day by blocking off major thoroughfares. Sitting cross-legged in a tent and knitting to pass the time, Guillermo Esteve said he was part of a group of vegans who had decided to show their support by joining the encampment.
But I have two daughters who are sharing bedrooms because they have no other choice. So I can’t just sit around doing nothing.” This was how she had ended up in the heart of Madrid on a Monday afternoon, sweeping the city’s central plaza, she added with a laugh.
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