Tens of thousands protest across Spain after parliament rejects housing decrees

Tens of thousands of people demonstrated across Spain on Saturday to protest against the housing crisis, Sky News, Reuters, Al Jazeera and the BBC reported. The demonstrations took place after the Spanish parliament rejected emergency housing legislation on Friday, according to Al Jazeera and the BBC. As FTMQ News reported earlier, parliament voted down two affordable housing decrees proposed by Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez. [1][2][3][4][9]

Demonstrators gathered in about 50 cities, including Madrid, Valencia and Barcelona, Al Jazeera and the BBC reported. Al Jazeera said protesters called for a general strike and housing reforms to lower high costs. A spokesperson for the Valencia Tenants' Union stated that there was a lot of anger in the streets, the BBC reported. [3][4]

Protests had already flared across Spain after the eviction of an 87-year-old woman, according to Sky News and ETV Bharat. Maricarmen Abascal was evicted on 23 September 2026, renewing public focus on the housing crisis. Protesters established an organized camp at the Puerta del Sol square in Madrid on 26 September. [1][6][7]

Public anger had previously built over the suicide of an evicted woman, Olga Matute, in L'Hospitalet de Llobregat earlier in September. Discontent was also driven by a controversial luxury penthouse purchase involving Madrid premier Isabel Diaz Ayuso. Activists are demanding immediate structural reforms to protect tenants and lower housing prices. [3][7]