Spain
Tens of thousands demonstrate in Barcelona against high rents
In Spain too, apartments are now almost unaffordable for many people. The demonstrators are demanding dignified living – and rent reductions of 50 percent.
Tens of thousands of people protested for affordable housing in the Spanish Mediterranean metropolis of Barcelona in the evening. The police spoke of around 22,000 participants, the organizers even of 170,000, as the Spanish news agency Europapress reported.
Among other things, the demonstrators demanded that rents be reduced by half, as the newspaper “El País” and other media report. They also want to ensure that empty apartments and tourist accommodation are once again available to residents of the capital of the Catalonia region in northeastern Spain and that rental contracts are valid for an unlimited period.
“It’s enough now that we spend half of our salary on rent and have to pack our things again every time a contract expires,” quoted El País Carme Arcarazo, spokeswoman for the tenants’ association Sindicatos de Inquilinos. Various parties and unions also took part in the demonstration in solidarity.
According to “El País”, in addition to many tourist accommodations, real estate purchases by foreign investors, who also receive visas at the same time, are aggravating the situation on the tense housing market in Barcelona. In other cities in Spain and on the islands, there are repeated protests against excessive rents and the consequences of mass tourism for the housing market.
dpa
Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
