The housing protest takes Cibeles and pressures Congress with the cry of "general strike"

Pots, pans, whistles, and keys have sounded this Thursday in front of Madrid City Hall amidst shouts of "general strike". Hundreds of people gathered in Cibeles to demand that Congress approve the two housing decrees this Friday. The protest has brought the mobilization born after Maricarmen's eviction to the municipal headquarters, while other cities joined the call to pressure the parties before the vote.

The concentration, called for eight in the evening, began a few minutes earlier and grew with the arrival of more attendees. Among them were the general secretary of CCOO, Unai Sordo, and the general secretary of UGT Madrid, Susana Huertas. A large police presence was deployed in front of the City Hall, with at least eight National Police vans and another two near the Bank of Spain, according to Europa Press.

"Rentiers out of our neighborhoods" and "It's not a cool apartment, it's a fucking hole!" were some of the chanted slogans. There were also messages directed at the mayor, José Luis Martínez-Almeida. "We are here because we want Almeida to come out, to tell him that either he lowers our rents or we will lower them ourselves."

Before starting, the spokesperson for the Madrid Tenants' Union, Alicia del Río, has urged deputies to "listen to the street" and abandon "partisan calculations that anger people". The union calls for support for both texts, which it considers minimum measures capable of providing stability to millions of families, although it maintains its criticism that the Government has separated the package into two decrees.

Del Río has linked this demand to the case of Maricarmen, evicted last September 23 from the Retiro home where she had lived for more than seven decades. "So that there is no more Maricarmen," she defended. The spokesperson has highlighted the social pressure that accompanied the woman's return to her home and the approval of the measures by the Council of Ministers.

Barcelona demands "yes/yes" from Junts

In Barcelona, the pot-banging protest gathered nearly a thousand people in Sant Jaume square, in front of the City Council and Generalitat headquarters. A banner summarized the message directed at Junts, whose vote remains decisive for the first decree. "Defending Catalonia is voting yes/yes," it read.

The spokesperson for the Sindicat de Llogateres, Carme Arcarazo, has called for support for both texts, including the one that establishes the automatic renewal of rents. "Defending Catalonia is approving the 'Maricarmen decree'," she pointed out. The organizers then called for people to attend the encampment in Plaça Catalunya, which the Sindicat and the Platform of People Affected by Mortgages also encouraged people to join.

In Zaragoza, hundreds of people have gathered in Plaza de España. The protest has demanded solutions to the housing crisis and has maintained pressure on the Government, whose measures the organizers consider insufficient to solve the underlying problem.

In Valencia, the rain has moved the cacerolada to the balconies, with a special presence in Benimaclet. The spokesperson for the Sindicat de Llogateres de València, Andrea Aleixos, explained that approving both decrees would be a victory, but that the pressure will continue. In Toledo, the cacerolas have also been heard around the cathedral, along with the call to protest from homes.

The calls have also resonated in Palma, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Seville, and Bilbao, according to information published by El Plural. From Toledo, Alicia Martínez, spokesperson for the Unión Popular de Inquilinas, has expressed a position shared by the organizers. "We are not going to conform, in any case, not even if the decrees are approved."

Tomorrow, before Congress

The next event in Madrid will be this Friday. The Tenants' Union has announced that it will leave Puerta del Sol at 10:00 towards Congress, where the plenary session is scheduled for 11:00. "We will be in Congress while this minimum measure is being voted on so that there are no more Maricarmens," explained Del Río.

The first decree includes protection against evictions of vulnerable people until December 31, 2030, two-year extensions for certain contracts, regulation of seasonal and room rentals, tax incentives, and limits on certain speculative purchases. The second includes the automatic renewal of leases and compensation to the tenant if the owner rejects the continuity without a cause provided for in the norm.

PNV and Coalición Canaria will support the first text and reject the second, while Podemos has announced its support for both. With the positions communicated, automatic renewal lacks sufficient support given the rejection of PP, Vox, and UPN. For the first decree, Junts' abstention would be enough to allow its validation. The party has called a meeting of its leadership at 9:00 p.m. to decide its vote.

The union maintains its objective of organizing a general strike for housing and against the high cost of living, although it has not yet set a date. Del Río has indicated that it will be built from the neighborhoods and that the response of Congress will influence the timing of the mobilization. In Sol, territorial assemblies have already begun to give continuity to the organization that emerged around the encampment.

For Saturday, October 3, Madrid has called four columns at 12:00 from Atocha, the Emilio Castelar roundabout, the Hospital de la Princesa, and the Plaza de España, which will converge in Cibeles. The demonstrations will extend during the weekend to other cities, including Toledo, where the march will depart at 18:30 from Zocodover towards the Plaza del Ayuntamiento.