Tens of thousands protest in Spain after failed housing reforms

Tens of thousands of people rallied across Spain to demand affordable housing measures the day after lawmakers rejected an emergency package of tenant protections. Demonstrations unfolded in the capital, Madrid, and in roughly 50 other cities, where protesters called for reforms, a general strike and an end to evictions amid a politically charged atmosphere. The immediate catalyst for the unrest was the eviction of an 87-year-old pensioner in Madrid, which prompted hundreds to set up tents in the city centre and helped sustain more than a week of protests. Organisers and union spokespeople said the demonstrations showed renewed popular energy; the Tenants’ Union described the rallies as a sign that “people’s power” can produce rapid change. Friday’s parliamentary vote represented a setback for Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s minority left-wing coalition. The two emergency decrees were overturned after Junts, a right-wing Catalan separatist party, joined the main opposition Popular Party (PP) and the far-right Vox in opposing the measures. PP leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo urged Sánchez to call elections, saying the prime minister lacked support in both parliament and on the streets. Most rallies were peaceful, with participants carrying banners reading slogans such as “Houses to live in, a planet to inhabit” and “the right to a roof.” In Valencia, however, police used rubber bullets and tear gas to disperse demonstrators after about 30 protesters entered the City of Arts and Sciences before being removed. Spanish media reported that Sánchez would gauge the protests’ strength in considering his next steps; his office did not comment on those reports.