'Anger in the streets': Tens of thousands protest in Spain over housing crisis
Source: BBC World ↗ (cross-verified by 5 outlets — full list below)
Tens of thousands of Spaniards took to the streets on Saturday in a coordinated wave of protests after Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s left‑wing coalition failed to pass emergency housing legislation in parliament. Demonstrations erupted in at least fifty cities, with the largest gatherings reported in Madrid, Valencia and Barcelona. In Valencia, clashes broke out near the Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía where a real‑estate summit was under way; police used rubber bullets after protesters removed barriers and threw objects, leaving nine officers injured and five demonstrators arrested. In the capital, the Tenants’ Union claimed half a million people were camped in Puerta del Sol, while government estimates put the figure at 70,000. Protesters, many of them young renters like 26‑year‑old librarian Marcos Sainz, voiced outrage over soaring rents – a one‑bedroom flat now costs around €1,000 a month compared with €900 a year ago – and demanded stronger tenant protections.
The protests were sparked by the eviction of 87‑year‑old Maricarmen Abascal last September, when a sharp rent increase forced her out of her home, igniting a nationwide outcry that pressured Sánchez’s government to draft two emergency decrees. The first decree sought to suspend evictions of vulnerable tenants until 2030, extend existing leases by two years, raise taxes on tourist apartments and curb purchases of residential property by “vulture funds.” The second decree aimed to introduce automatic renewal of rental contracts. Both measures were rejected by the Congress, with the first vote falling 178‑172 and the second 184‑166, after the conservative People’s Party, far‑right Vox and the Catalan nationalist bloc Together for Catalonia opposed them, leaving Sánchez’s minority coalition without the necessary backing.
The defeat deepens Spain’s housing crisis, which the Bank of Spain estimates involves a shortage of 700,000 homes, while house prices have risen 12.2 % over the past year and rents climbed 8.5 % in 2025, according to Idealista. Madrid and Barcelona now rank as the country’s most expensive rental markets, at €22.70‑23.80 per square metre. The parliamentary loss has fueled speculation that Sánchez may call an early general election, earlier than the scheduled summer vote, as his coalition struggles to address the mounting pressure from tenants and the broader working class who fear that, without regulation, many will be forced out of major cities.
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🌍World Economylow impact
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🌍 Effects for your country
The U.S.'s central bank rate currently stands at 3.75%, so a global rates move like this could feed through to local borrowing costs. The U.S.'s economy is growing at 2.3% with inflation at 3.2%, the backdrop this story's effects play out against locally. Housing-market effects like this are usually felt most where mortgage rates track the U.S.'s own central bank rate closely. With the U.S.'s unemployment at 4.4%, personal-finance effects like this land on a labour market that is currently fairly stable. Health-system effects are harder to localise from economic indicators alone — the real impact in the U.S. depends more on local healthcare capacity than the figures above.
The UK's central bank rate currently stands at 3.75%, so a global rates move like this could feed through to local borrowing costs. The UK's economy is growing at 0.8% with inflation at 3.2%, the backdrop this story's effects play out against locally. Housing-market effects like this are usually felt most where mortgage rates track the UK's own central bank rate closely. With the UK's unemployment at 5.6%, personal-finance effects like this land on a labour market that is currently fairly stable. Health-system effects are harder to localise from economic indicators alone — the real impact in the UK depends more on local healthcare capacity than the figures above.
France's central bank rate currently stands at 2%, so a global rates move like this could feed through to local borrowing costs. France's economy is growing at 0.9% with inflation at 1.8%, the backdrop this story's effects play out against locally. Housing-market effects like this are usually felt most where mortgage rates track France's own central bank rate closely. With France's unemployment at 7.9%, personal-finance effects like this land on a labour market that is already under strain. Health-system effects are harder to localise from economic indicators alone — the real impact in France depends more on local healthcare capacity than the figures above.
Romania's central bank rate currently stands at 6.5%, so a global rates move like this could feed through to local borrowing costs. Romania's economy is growing at 0.7% with inflation at 7.8%, the backdrop this story's effects play out against locally. Housing-market effects like this are usually felt most where mortgage rates track Romania's own central bank rate closely. With Romania's unemployment at 6%, personal-finance effects like this land on a labour market that is currently fairly stable. Health-system effects are harder to localise from economic indicators alone — the real impact in Romania depends more on local healthcare capacity than the figures above.
The UAE's central bank rate currently stands at 3.65%, so a global rates move like this could feed through to local borrowing costs. The UAE's economy is growing at 3.1% with inflation at 2.5%, the backdrop this story's effects play out against locally. Housing-market effects like this are usually felt most where mortgage rates track the UAE's own central bank rate closely. Health-system effects are harder to localise from economic indicators alone — the real impact in the UAE depends more on local healthcare capacity than the figures above.