Tens of thousands of people demonstrated across Spain on Saturday, including in Madrid and about 50 other cities, calling for affordable housing measures after parliament rejected two emergency housing bills the previous day.
The proposed measures from Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s minority left-wing government were intended to support tenants and prevent evictions, the reports said. Organizers put the Madrid turnout at 500,000, according to Deutsche Welle. Protesters called for lower rents, protections against evictions and broader housing reforms. The BBC reported clashes between some demonstrators and police in Valencia.
The protests followed a wave of actions prompted by the eviction of 87-year-old Maricarmen Abascalin in Madrid after a rent increase she could not afford, according to Deutsche Welle and the BBC. Demonstrators also called for a general strike, Al Jazeera reported.