Spain takes to the streets for housing after the veto by PP, the far-right Vox and Junts to the Government's decrees: "Towards a general strike"

The rejection of housing decrees brings indignation back to the streets. This Saturday, October 3, the movement for the right to a dignified home calls to fill the squares of Spain after Congress overturned the two norms promoted by the Government. The Confederation of Tenants' Unions and other collectives have organized more than 50 calls between Friday and Monday under the slogan "Towards the general strike". Madrid, Catalonia, Valencia, Palma, Zaragoza, and Malaga will be some of the main focuses of a protest that demands measures against unaffordable rents and evictions.

The day arrives with the Puerta del Sol encampment still standing and with a broader union response. Comisiones Obreras (CCOO) and the Unión General de Trabajadores (UGT) called on Friday to participate in the weekend mobilizations for the right to housing and against speculation. The pressure that arose around the eviction of Maricarmen, the 87-year-old Madrid resident, has spread to other cities and will continue despite the parliamentary setback.

The Popular Party (PP), the far-right Vox, Junts, and Unión del Pueblo Navarro (UPN) voted against both decrees. The first fell by 178 votes to 172 and the second, by 184 to 166, with the added rejection of the Basque Nationalist Party (PNV) and Coalición Canaria. The new protection measures against certain evictions of vulnerable households, extraordinary rental extensions, and automatic contract renewals were left out. The unions had asked to approve both texts, although they considered them insufficient.

Madrid towards Cibeles and Catalonia towards L’Hospitalet

Madrid will have four simultaneous starting points at 12:00 hours, with a common destination in Cibeles square, in front of the City Council. The Madrid Tenants' Union has distributed the columns by zones to gather residents from different neighborhoods and municipalities.

• North, from the Emilio Castelar roundabout.
• South, from Atocha.
• East, from La Princesa Hospital.
• West, from Plaza de España.

Participants from the Sol encampment will join these four marches. The confluence in front of the City Council will give continuity to the protest that already toured Madrid the previous Saturday and to this week's caceroladas. "Maricarmen was just the beginning, there is much more struggle ahead," the union states in its call.

The main rally in Catalonia will be at 7:00 p.m. in Plaça de Pius XII in L'Hospitalet de Llobregat. Before that, at 6:00 p.m., a column will depart from Plaça d'Espanya in Barcelona towards the neighboring town. The mobilization will include a tribute to Olga, the neighbor who died by suicide after an eviction, and will continue with a march and interventions by the participating organizations.

The journey from Barcelona will have previous meeting points in several towns. The Confederation lists departures at 5:00 p.m. at Renfe Terrassa Nord and at Pompeu Fabra metro station in Badalona; at 5:30 p.m. at Vilanova i la Geltrú and Sitges stations; and at 5:45 p.m. at Castelldefels station. Girona will have its own concentration, at 12:00 p.m. in Plaça del Vi.

Schedules and departures in the rest of Spain

València will open the day at 11:00 AM at the Porta de la Mar, with a march that will end in front of the Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía. The Real Estate Summit, a real estate investment summit, is being held there, to which the collectives want to direct their protest against speculation. The call brings together, among other organizations, Entrebarris, housing unions, and the Platform of People Affected by Mortgages (PAH).

Palma will mobilize at 12:00 PM in Plaça d’Espanya; Zaragoza, at 6:00 PM in Plaza de Santo Domingo; and Málaga, at 7:00 PM in Plaza de la Constitución. The calendar combines marches and concentrations spread throughout the day.

Cádiz, Huelva, and Jerez de la Frontera will coincide at 12:00 PM. Their meeting points will be, respectively, Plaza de San Antonio, the Government Subdelegation, and Plaza del Arenal. Granada will have its demonstration in the afternoon, at 7:00 PM in Plaza Isabel la Católica.

In the north, Donostia-San Sebastián, Vitoria-Gasteiz, and Pamplona-Iruñea will mobilize at 12:00 PM, from the Boulevard, Plaza de la Virgen Blanca, and Plaza de las Merindades, respectively. At the same time, protests are scheduled in Santander, in front of the Government Delegation; Santiago de Compostela, in Praza do Obradoiro; León, from Guzmán el Bueno towards San Marcelo; and Zamora, in Plaza de la Marina.

Castelló and Guadalajara will also depart at 12:00 PM, from Plaça Maria Agustina and Plaza del Ayuntamiento. The Guadalajara march will go along Calle Mayor to Wenceslao Argumosa. Talavera de la Reina will have its event at 1:30 PM in Plaza de la Trinidad. In the Canary Islands, local time, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria will gather at 11:00 AM in Plaza de la Feria and Santa Cruz de Tenerife, at 1:00 PM in front of the Government Subdelegation.

In the afternoon, Alicante has its call at 6:00 PM in Plaza de les Oliveretes. Albacete and Toledo will start at 6:30 PM, from Plaza Gabriel Lodares and Zocodover, respectively. In Toledo, the route will pass through San Vicente before reaching Plaza del Ayuntamiento. At 7:00 PM there will be protests in Cáceres, on Calle San Pedro, in front of the PP headquarters; and in Soria, in Plaza Mariano Granados.

A Coruña, Vigo, and Lugo will mobilize at 7:00 PM. In A Coruña, the march will start from Rolda de Outeiro with Conchiñas towards the Government Subdelegation. In Vigo, it will depart from Vía Norte with Urzáiz and end at Porta do Sol. Lugo has its gathering in Praza Maior. There will also be calls in Cabanas, at 5:00 PM in Parque do Barco Pirata, and in Cangas do Morrazo, at 8:00 PM in Praza do Concello.

In Castilla y León, Valladolid will depart at 7:00 PM from Plaza de la Fuente Dorada and Palencia will gather at 7:30 PM in Plaza Pío XII. The gatherings in Burgos and Ciudad Real will be at 8:00 PM, in Plaza del Cid and Plaza Mayor, respectively.

The mobilization will continue on Sunday, October 4. Bilbao has its call at 12:00 PM in Plaza Elíptica. At the same time, there will be protests in Gijón, from Plaza del Humedal; Oviedo, at Renfe station; Badajoz, in front of the Housing Department on Europa Avenue; and Salamanca, before the Government Subdelegation.

Almería will start on Sunday at 11:00 AM in Puerta de Purchena and Cuenca, at 11:30 AM in Plaza de España. In the afternoon, Logroño will gather at 6:00 PM in Doctor Zubía roundabout and Murcia, at the same time in Plaza de la Cruz Roja. Teruel has its gathering at 6:30 PM in Plaza del Torico.

Córdoba will march on Sunday at 7:00 PM from Plaza de la Costa del Sol towards the City Hall, while Ourense will mobilize at 8:00 PM in front of the Government Subdelegation. Pontevedra will extend the calendar until Monday 5, at 8:00 PM in Praza da Peregrina.

What the movement demands and why Sol continues

Permanent contracts, lower rents, expropriation from vulture funds, and an end to all evictions are the four demands that the Confederation places at the forefront of the calls. In Madrid, the union specifies a 50% reduction in rents. The organizations want the pressure of the weekend to force a response to the rising cost of housing and the insecurity of those who fear losing their home when their contract ends.

The support they gave to the decrees responded to the urgency of achieving minimum protection. Their rejection reinforces the clash between the movement and the parties that blocked the measures, but criticism also reaches the Government for the limited scope of its proposals. The Confederation denounces an "irreparable disconnection" between social demands and the decisions of a Congress it considers "kidnapped by rentism."

The Sol encampment will continue as a point of organization for the protests. The spokespersons for the Tenants' Union, Alicia del Río and Valeria Racu, confirmed its continuity on Friday after the vote. The objective is to extend the mobilization to the neighborhoods and build alliances with labor unionism, environmental and feminist movements, and other collectives to advance towards a general strike.

The call from CCOO and UGT to fill the streets adds support to the demonstrations. The announcement by the Tenants' Union on Friday did not yet set a date for the general strike. Del Río linked the continuity of Sol to this new phase of organization and expressed it with a message also directed at the Executive. "We don't know what Mr. Pedro Sánchez has decided, we know what the street has decided," she stated.