Thousands of people took part in a march under the slogan “Housing is a right, not a business”, which passed through the streets of Madrid on Sunday. Residents of the Spanish capital demanded lower apartment rental prices and better living conditions.
According to the Spanish government's estimates, twelve thousand people took part in the march. – Spaniards they cannot live in their own cities. They are pushing us out of the cities. The government must regulate prices and housing – appealed a 33-year-old nurse who took part in the demonstration.
A similar demonstration took place on Sunday in Barcelona. Protesters complained that the international America's Cup regatta taking place off the city's coast led to a drastic jump in rental prices and a wave of tourists that flooded the already heavily overpopulated city.
March in Madrid with the slogan “Housing is a right, not a business”PAP/EPA/Chema Moya
Residents of the Canary Islands and Málaga also organized protests this year against rising housing prices.
“Seasonal workers in the hotel industry have difficulty finding accommodation in cities popular with tourists, many of them decide to live in caravans or even cars,” writes Reuters.
Apartments are worth their weight in gold
Spain is struggling to find a balance between promoting tourism – a key driver of the Spanish economy – and responding to citizens' concerns about high rents, which result from, among other things, due to gentrification and the fact that a significant part of the real estate is intended for tourist rentals, which are more profitable for owners – estimates Reuters.
MadridShutterstock
In July, the Spanish government announced restrictions on the possibility of renting apartments to tourists in order to stop the rising costs of living for residents. Authorities are to check whether people posting rental offers on platforms such as Airbnb and Booking.com have the appropriate licenses.
Main photo source: PAP/EPA/Chema Moya