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7h ago

Police Clear Puerta del Sol Protest Camp in Madrid

Removing the camp shifts attention to Spain’s housing crisis and the policy fight ahead of the Nov. 29 general election.

Cleaning crew work at Puerta del Sol after police cleared the housing protest camp overnight, in Madrid, Spain, November 3, 2026. The main housing organizations had already left the site before the clearing of the encampment, which started on September 26 following the eviction of the late 87-year-old Maricarmen Abascal, and had sparked nationwide protests. REUTERS/Susana Susana
A member of the cleaning crew works at Puerta del Sol after police cleared the housing protest camp overnight, in Madrid, Spain, November 3, 2026. The main housing organizations had already left the site before the clearing of the encampment, which started on September 26 following the eviction of the late 87-year-old Maricarmen Abascal, and had sparked nationwide protests. REUTERS/Susana Vera
A police officer walks past a cleaning services vehicle at Puerta del Sol after police cleared the housing protest camp overnight, in Madrid, Spain, November 3, 2026. The main housing organizations had already left the site before the clearing of the encampment, which started on September 26 following the eviction of the late 87-year-old Maricarmen Abascal, and had sparked nationwide protests. REUTERS/Susana Vera
Over time, the Sol camp mushroomed into a sprawling warren of tents and tarpaulin

Overview

  • Police moved in early Tuesday to dismantle the Puerta del Sol encampment, removing 334 people and making two arrests, city and central government sources said.
  • Officials said about 400 officers plus firefighters and social services took part and that cleaning crews sealed off and washed the square after the operation.
  • Protest organisers and some witnesses say police used force, left people injured and prevented campers from taking phones and identity documents, a claim officials deny.
  • The camp had grown since late September into a mini-city with a canteen, clinic and meeting spaces and inspired similar occupations in Barcelona, Seville and Valencia.
  • Spain faces a deep housing shortfall, rising rents and little public housing, and the camp’s removal intensifies a debate that helped push Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez to call a snap Nov. 29 election that could change housing policy direction.