They thus join the camp that began in Sol, Madrid, following Maricarmen’s eviction and has spread to different cities to express their opposition to the new decrees approved by the Council of Ministers, which they consider “insufficient.” For Paula, one of the spokespersons for the Tenants’ Union, it is a “watered-down decree” that does not stop all evictions, but only “certain cases,” and “for some time.” It therefore fails to meet their ultimate demand: “an end to all evictions.”
For this reason, they have called for a “radical reduction in prices,” saying that in some areas rents have risen “by 80% or even 100%” over the past 10 years. “At the very least, they should be cut in half,” she insisted. They have also demanded that housing be expropriated from “vulture funds” and placed at the service of “the needs of the social majority.” “We know there is a huge amount of vacant and tourist housing in the hands of banks and major property owners. It should be expropriated,” she added.
UP TO 100 TENTS SET UP
The Tenants’ Union organized the gathering. Paula gave a “very positive” assessment of the first night. The spokesperson estimates that, after the camp was announced at around 9 p.m., approximately 60 tents had already been set up in Spain Square during the first few hours, with the number of people camping eventually reaching 100.
For Paula, this is evidence of “an exemplary and very rapid response,” demonstrating that “people really wanted to camp, meet up and fight.” Early in the morning, around 80 tents remained open. All this took place despite the rain, which the Tenants’ Union spokesperson sees as proof that “people are very committed to the struggle, that we are fed up with housing being a business and that we want to put an end to it.”
The tents were set up on Thursday but, they insist, will remain in place “for as long as necessary.” The aim is for them to stay at least until next Saturday, when a major afternoon demonstration is scheduled to take place in Santo Domingo Square. “What we want is for the camp to help build that demonstration so that it is as large as possible,” Paula explained.
The union is also staying in contact with other camps “to see how they develop.” They have therefore demanded “a solution now” and warned that the camp “could evolve into other forms of mobilization,” which will be assessed in due course.
