Thousands protest against housing crisis in Madrid: “We want neighbours, not tourists”
Thousands took to the streets in the Spanish capital, Madrid, over the weekend amid the ongoing housing crisis.
It was a weekend full of protests in Madrid. Firstly, disgruntled citizens lined the streets to call for Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez to resign amid corruption allegations.
Then, on May 24th, more made their voices heard at a demonstration that was supported by the Madrid Tenants’ Union and Spain’s two main trade unions.
According to DW, organisers claimed that over 100,000 people participated in the protest, yet authorities dispute this figure and place it closer to 25,000.
Last month, the government in Spain announced a €7 billion plan to build public housing to help young people deal with the ongoing crisis, but it has been condemned as not being enough.
Unai Sordo, secretary general of the CCOO union, said, “Housing measures, although some are moving in the right direction, are advancing at a snail’s pace, while the housing crisis is escalating rapidly.”
Meanwhile, Fernando de Los Santos, a spokesman for the tenants’ union, Fernando de los Santos, told the AFP, “More and more people are being forced into overcrowded conditions, having to live in shared rooms or even with other families.”
Not only is the supply of housing not rising at the same rate as the number of new households, but there was also a 13 per cent year-on-year housing cost rise in 2025.
Furthermore, the lack of governmental interference in stopping the growth of holiday rentals on sites such as Airbnb has also been a cause for concern for locals. Per the AP, one banner held by protesters read, “We want neighbours, not tourists.”
A 28-year-old protestor, who works as a teacher and lives with her grandmother, explained of her reason for joining the crowds on the streets to the aforementioned publication, “The situation for many young people like me is quite complicated, and it is very difficult to find a rental home due to the prices and low salaries.”
This is not the first time that protests have broken out in Spain in recent years amid the ongoing housing crisis, fuelled in part by mass tourism, with previous demonstrations taking place in cities such as San Sebastian and Barcelona.
