‘Now is the moment’: housing activists at Madrid encampment pin wary hopes on Spain’s early election
Campaigners set up in more than 1,200 tents in Puerto del Sol square say challenge now is to translate a groundswell of public support into concrete change
TL;DR
- Housing activists have created a large encampment in Madrid's Puerta del Sol square, which has drawn significant media attention to the housing crisis.
- The eviction of Maricarmen Abascal and subsequent protests led Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez to call a snap general election.
- Activists are demanding policies that address rising rents and housing costs, and are considering a general strike in November.
- The upcoming election is seen as a crucial opportunity for activists to influence policy, though the outcome is uncertain, with polls suggesting a potential rightwing coalition.
- The movement aims to channel public energy and demand constitutional rights to decent housing, which they see as being systematically violated.