Madrid police clear Puerta del Sol affordable housing protest camp

Police cleared a protest tent camp in the centre of Madrid on Tuesday, according to Euronews, AOL, The Straits Times, and RUSSPAIN. Authorities from the Madrid city government stated that the eviction at the Puerta del Sol took place without violence, with officials removing 334 people and arresting two. However, protest organisers described the action as a violent police raid on Telegram. [1][2][3][4]

The camp was originally established on 26 September following the police eviction of an 87-year-old pensioner from her Madrid home, Euronews reported. The woman was evicted after the real estate company owning her apartment sharply raised the rent. The encampment remained in place for more than a month to protest the country's broader housing crisis. [1]

The Madrid clearing follows earlier unrest across the region over rising living costs. Tens of thousands of people marched across roughly 50 Spanish cities in October after parliament voted down emergency relief measures, as FTMQ News reported earlier. Neighboring Portugal has also experienced protests over affordable housing costs, where police cleared an encampment in Lisbon on Sunday after dozens of tents were set up in Rossio Square. [5][8][9]