The housing encampment in Puerta del Sol continues to grow and faces its fifth night with no date set to dismantle the camp. The Tenants' Union has counted 1,248 tents this Wednesday morning. The protest now occupies the central space of the square and reaches the accesses of Arenal and Preciados, while its participants organize themselves to continue in anticipation of new rains.
The approval of the two housing decrees in the Council of Ministers has not put an end to the mobilization either. Alicia del Río, spokesperson for the Madrid Tenants' Union, confirmed this Wednesday that there is no date to call off the encampment and that acts of disobedience will continue. "The struggle continues," she affirmed, with Friday's vote in Congress as the next date for the square's demands.
The camp began on Saturday, at the end of the housing demonstration called after the eviction of Maricarmen, the resident of the Retiro district whose case has fueled the protests. The first tents have given way to a settlement that expands every day, with spaces for sleeping, distributing food, and holding assemblies.
A square with its own street map
The growth has forced them to organize the aisles between the tents and even to create a map with streets and squares named by the campers themselves. Maricarmen Avenue, Plaza de las Precarias, or Rosa Luxemburg Promenade are part of this street map. The avenue dedicated to the evicted neighbor leads to the tents where food and provisions are distributed, and the map needs to be updated as new tents appear.
The distribution maintains clear passages to cross the square, both through the northern arch and through the strip connecting Calle Mayor with Carrera de San Jerónimo. Near the Bear and the Strawberry Tree, space is reserved for assemblies, while different associations and collectives share the enclosure with the participants' tents.
The daily organization includes shifts to combine the protest with work and studies. Some participants have brought computers and notes, and batteries are distributed to charge devices. The tents, assemblies, and collective spaces are reminiscent of the 15M encampment, which occupied this same square in 2011, fifteen years ago.
Rain will be one of the difficulties in the coming days. The prediction of the State Meteorological Agency (Aemet) for Madrid places the highest probability of precipitation from Thursday afternoon and during Friday and the weekend, coinciding with the parliamentary vote and new mobilizations.
The campers have already had to protect themselves from the water this week with tarps and tents, and on Monday they demanded more waterproof material, prepared food, and water. The intention to stay remains despite the bad weather. "We will help each other so that no one gets wet," explained union spokesman Fernando de los Santos during the first working day of the camp.
The pressure continues
The Tenants' Union demands contracts that allow them to remain in the home as long as rental obligations are met and there is no justified cause to terminate them. The automatic renewal of contracts is included in the second decree, whose publication in the BOE is scheduled for this Thursday. The decision to vote on both texts separately has generated criticism from the housing movement, which fears that this measure will be left out even if the rest of the package goes ahead.
Del Río conveyed this demand to the PP headquarters, on Génova street, this Wednesday, to ask Alberto Núñez Feijóo what his party will vote. The spokeswoman has demanded stability for families, linking it to children being able to finish school where they started and tenants keeping their health centers and their relationships in the neighborhood. "If we keep paying, what is the reason to kick us out?" she asked.
Meanwhile, the Community of Madrid and the City Council maintain their demand for eviction. Isabel Díaz Ayuso's Government gave the Government Delegation a 48-hour deadline on Tuesday to dissolve the encampment and warned of legal actions. Her spokesman, Miguel Ángel García Martín, insisted this Wednesday that it must be ordered immediately. This political ultimatum expires on Thursday and does not equate to a judicial eviction order.
The Government delegate, Francisco Martín, has defended the peaceful nature of the protest and has linked an intervention to the existence of security risks. Almeida has tried to question that position by announcing a document on the presence of knives, cobblestones, and stoves in the camp. The mayor has also announced the fencing of the Bear and the Strawberry Tree after the graffiti on its pedestal.
The National Police intervened this afternoon after a confrontation between two men and participants in the encampment. The officers separated both groups and the two men left the area, one of them escorted. Más Madrid has also asked for the campers to be protected against threats of aggression and calls disseminated on social media.
The permanence of the camp has also forced the postponement of the assembly of the exhibition '1776-We The Hispanics', scheduled from this Thursday as part of Hispanidad 2026. The Ministry of Culture has indicated that the possible impact on the stages and concerts programmed in Sol will depend on how the encampment evolves.
The Tenants' Union has confirmed that there will be new demonstrations on Saturday, October 3, regardless of the parliamentary outcome. Del Río has announced that the call remains "whatever happens on Friday."
