Two hundred protesters sleep in tents in Barcelona’s Plaça de Catalunya, demanding affordable housing as a national election approaches on November 29.
The encampment began on September 30, sparked by the eviction of 87-year-old Maricarmen Abascal, who was carried out of her home of 70 years on a stretcher and died in hospital days later, The Journal reported. Hundreds of thousands have since taken to Spanish streets, while demonstrators occupy central squares in several cities.
“We’re here for social things. A place to sleep is the minimum that a human being needs,” William Gomes Dos Santo told The Journal. Gomes Dos Santo is a 45-year-old Brazilian who arrived in Spain 18 months ago to seek better opportunities and now guards the camp entrance.
Prime minister Pedro Sanchez called a snap general election after parliament initially failed to pass tenant protection decrees. On Thursday, following Spain’s first national strike in a decade, parliament passed the measures, though the right-wing Popular Party has pledged to repeal them if it wins power.
Spaniards spend roughly 40% to 50% of their income on housing, with costs reaching up to 70% in Madrid and Barcelona. These housing expenses collide with low salaries that trail the European Union average by approximately 20%.
“They’re killing us slowly,” Maria Galin told The Journal. Galin is a 26-year-old from Barcelona staying at the camp who said long-term residents and traditional cultural practices are being pushed to the periphery.
“Today you can’t pay for a house. Tomorrow they humiliate you taking you out of your home. I’m not asking for a mansion in the middle of Plaça Catalunya… I’m asking for the minimum,” Galin told The Journal. She added that the protest has expanded beyond shelter to encompass broader cost-of-living grievances involving food and fuel prices.
Daniel Nattes, a 33-year-old electrician from Colombia, also camps outside after losing his home. He maintains that workers deserve a dignified life after decades of labor.
The Barcelona encampment features a makeshift food truck, a bookshop, portaloo facilities, and tents elevated on pallets following heavy rains. Residents include people from Spain, Senegal, Romania, Palestine, Brazil, and Colombia.
While similar camps in Madrid, Valencia, Seville, and Malaga were cleared within weeks, Barcelona’s protest has persisted. Barcelona mayor Jaume Collboni initially acknowledged the protesters’ right to peaceful assembly, though police arrests following Wednesday’s national strike led him to suggest the square might be cleared before Christmas.
A recent survey indicates that 60% of Spaniards support the general strike, and 64% view the housing crisis as a primary incentive to cast a ballot.
“I’ll be here until the end,” said Atu, a 29-year-old construction worker from Senegal who commutes to Piera on weekends for work while spending weekdays at the Plaça de Catalunya camp.
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