Spaniards Protest Nationwide After Sánchez Housing Bill Fails

Thousands of demonstrators packed streets in Madrid, Valencia, Barcelona and roughly 50 other Spanish cities on Saturday, a day after Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez's government failed to push emergency housing legislation through parliament, according to the BBC.

Crowd estimates varied sharply. Madrid's Tenants' Union put turnout in the capital at 500,000, while government officials put the figure at 70,000, the BBC reported. Demonstrators have camped in Puerta del Sol, one of Madrid's main squares, for several days ahead of Saturday's march.

What triggered the demonstrations

The protests follow public anger over the eviction last month of an 87-year-old woman who could not afford a sharp rent increase, a case that set off nationwide demonstrations, according to the BBC. Protesters are demanding lower rents, an end to evictions and a ban on investment funds — termed "vulture funds" by the government — from buying residential property.

Why did Sánchez's housing bill fail

Sánchez's leftist coalition, made up of his Socialist party and junior partner Sumar, does not hold a majority in parliament, and the housing measures were defeated in Congress on Friday, the BBC reported. The defeat has fueled speculation Sánchez could call an early general election before the vote currently scheduled for next summer, according to the BBC.

Madrid's Tenants' Union said Friday night that although the government's proposed measures were insufficient, rejecting the bill "exacerbates the housing crisis which is costing the working class their lives."

What happened between police and protesters in Valencia

Clashes broke out in Valencia near the Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía, an arts center that was hosting a real estate summit, the BBC reported. Spanish media outlets said several protesters removed barriers and threw objects at police, who responded with rubber bullets. Public broadcaster RTVE reported nine police officers were injured and five people were arrested.

"There is a lot of anger in the streets," a spokesperson for the Valencia Tenants' Union said, according to the BBC.

What comes next for Spain's housing crisis

• Madrid's Tenants' Union is calling for a general strike over the government's handling of the housing crisis, the BBC reported.
• Sánchez faces decisions on whether to call elections ahead of the vote scheduled for next summer.
• Organizers say demonstrations will continue until rent is regulated nationally.
• Valencia authorities face scrutiny over the rubber-bullet response after nine officers were reported injured.

Key terms in Spain's housing debate

• Vulture funds: the Spanish government's term for investment funds that buy residential property, which protesters blame for driving up rents.
• Tenants' Union: grassroots renter organizations, including those in Madrid and Valencia, that organize demonstrations and track eviction data independently of government figures.
• Sumar: the junior partner in Sánchez's governing coalition alongside his Socialist party; together the two lack a parliamentary majority, which contributed to Friday's defeat.