Overview
- The lower house of Congress voted down two government housing decrees on Friday, a defeat driven by votes from PP, Vox and Junts that removed emergency measures to curb evictions and cap rents.
- The rejection triggered rapid, decentralized protests that have grown into indefinite encampments in major squares such as Madrid’s Puerta del Sol and Barcelona’s Plaça Catalunya.
- The movement coalesces around concrete demands: large rent reductions, permanent protections against evictions and the expropriation or transfer of properties held by so-called vulture funds.
- The Sindicato de Inquilinas announced a phased pullback of some militants from Sol to focus on neighborhood organizing and preparations for a possible general strike, even as other participants say they will hold and expand the camps.
- The political fallout is immediate: protesters have planned demonstrations in more than 50 cities this weekend and Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez is in a period of reflection over whether to call early general elections.