Housing affordability and rent increases brought demonstrators into Madrid's streets, with people gathering around the capital's Puerta del Sol. The size of the crowd remains disputed: the city's Tenants' Union estimated 500,000 participants, while government officials put the number at 70,000.
The gap between those figures is substantial, so neither should be presented as an independently confirmed count. The protest reflects a wider dispute over how quickly rents are rising and whether current policy offers enough protection to people who rent.
One Madrid resident interviewed by AFP described moving from a shared two-bedroom home costing 900 euros a month to a market where, he said, a one-bedroom flat could cost about 1,000 euros. The Tenants' Union criticised the government's proposed measures and called for a general strike over housing.
Reporting: BBC News, with material from RTVE and AFP.
Image: Joaquin Carfagna / Pexels. Illustrative photograph of Madrid housing, not an image of the demonstration. Photo details | Pexels licence.
