On Saturday, April 5, mass protests took place in 40 cities across Spain. Thousands of people took to the streets, demanding urgent action from the government to address the growing housing crisis.
The demonstrations were organized by a coalition of tenant unions, human rights advocates, and social movements fighting for affordable housing and social justice. According to activists, the government has turned housing into a profit-driven business, neglecting the needs of ordinary people.
Among the key demands of the protesters are a sharp reduction in rent prices, a ban on evictions of vulnerable families, limits on the number of tourist apartments, and a rent price cut of at least 50%. According to Euronews, the protests were especially significant as they took place simultaneously in dozens of cities for the first time. The wave of discontent initially began last year in the Canary Islands, where locals rallied against excessive tourism and called for a more “sustainable” model of development.
The initiative later spread to cities like Málaga—under the slogan “Málaga is for living, not surviving”—and was soon joined by Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Bilbao, and others.
Tenant unions report that the housing situation has reached a critical point: in the past two years, rent prices have surged by more than 18%.
Earlier this year, the Spanish government announced plans to impose a tax of up to 100% on property purchases by non-EU residents as part of its efforts to combat the housing crisis.
