Tens of thousands rallied across Spain on Saturday over the cost of housing, with tenants demanding greater protection. Around 50 protests took place, including in Madrid, Barcelona and Valencia, after emergency housing measures failed in parliament.
The government proposed the measures on Friday amid anger over the eviction last month of an 87-year-old woman who could not afford a steep rent rise. Demonstrators want rents lowered, evictions stopped and investment funds barred from buying property. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s coalition does not have a parliamentary majority.
Turnout estimates for the Madrid protest diverged: officials counted 70,000 people, while the city’s Tenants’ Union claimed 500,000. In Valencia, protesters clashed with police near a property summit. Public broadcaster RTVE reported nine officers injured and five arrests.
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