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Thousands of protesters have taken to the streets of Spain on Saturday, after lawmakers rejected proposed measures to protect citizens amidst a housing crisis and the eviction of an 87 year old woman.
Maricarmen Abascal was evicted from her Madrid apartment on September 23, having lived there for 71 years. Her apartment was purchased by an investment fund who demanded a 230% rent hike, which she was unable to afford on her pensioner’s salary. According to local news sources, Maricarmen was given 30 minutes to gather her belongings and carried out of her home in a stretcher by the police. Demonstrators gathered outside of her home to protest the eviction. The Tenant’s Union of Madrid took interest in Maricarmen’s case, and made efforts to prevent her eviction. It called for demonstrations following her eviction.
Pedro Sánchez’s Socialist-led coalition responded to Maricarmen’s eviction by putting forward two decrees aimed at alleviating the housing crisis’s impact and improving renters’ protections. Minister of Housing and Urban Agenda Isabel Rodríguez welcomed the decrees as an emergency mechanism to “stop the bleeding” and “avoid more evictions”. Rodríguez called Maricarmen’s situation a “collective failure”, expressing remorse that it took her eviction “for there to be an active political” and “social reaction” to the worsening housing situation.
However, the decrees were struck down by the opposition during the parliamentary plenary session on Friday.
The decision was met with outrage, and thousands took to the streets. Livestream footage showed hundreds of tents in Madrid’s square on Sunday, where demonstrators continue to rally for action and housing protections. The Tenant’s Union estimated that 500,000 people participated in Saturday’s demonstrations. Valeria Racu, Tenant’s Union spokesperson, warned that the movement will continue to put pressure on whoever governs, “so that housing continues to occupy a central place on the political agenda.”
Spain’s acute housing crisis has seen the sharp increase of rental and property prices paired with low wage growth, and a slow rate of housing construction which cannot meet housing demands. Many Spanish residents have protested tourism, which has exacerbated the housing crisis as overseas nationals purchase holiday homes, and companies purchase homes exclusively for short-term holiday lets to tourists. Early last year, the government proposed stricter restrictions on property purchases by non-EU residents.
According to Housing rights group Ni Un Desahucio Más, “over the past 15 years, 763,127 court-ordered evictions have been carried out, impacting the lives of 1.9 million people.” The group is advocating for an eviction moratorium to be extended and converted into a structural measure, thereby “extending its coverage to all evictions of vulnerable families”.
Article 25 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) outlines housing as a human right. The right to housing is also enshrined in the European Social Charter Part I § 31, and the right to protection against poverty and social exclusion as per Part I § 30.
The Tenant’s Union of Madrid said that it plans to organize a general strike, but has not yet announced a date.
The post Thousands protest Spain lawmakers’ rejection of protective measures amid worsening housing crisis appeared first on JURIST - News.
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Maricarmen Abascal was evicted from her Madrid apartment on September 23, having lived there for 71 years. Her apartment was purchased by an investment fund who demanded a 230% rent hike, which she was unable to afford on her pensioner’s salary. According to local news sources, Maricarmen was given 30 minutes to gather her belongings and carried out of her home in a stretcher by the police. Demonstrators gathered outside of her home to protest the eviction. The Tenant’s Union of Madrid took interest in Maricarmen’s case, and made efforts to prevent her eviction. It called for demonstrations following her eviction.
Pedro Sánchez’s Socialist-led coalition responded to Maricarmen’s eviction by putting forward two decrees aimed at alleviating the housing crisis’s impact and improving renters’ protections. Minister of Housing and Urban Agenda Isabel Rodríguez welcomed the decrees as an emergency mechanism to “stop the bleeding” and “avoid more evictions”. Rodríguez called Maricarmen’s situation a “collective failure”, expressing remorse that it took her eviction “for there to be an active political” and “social reaction” to the worsening housing situation.
However, the decrees were struck down by the opposition during the parliamentary plenary session on Friday.
The decision was met with outrage, and thousands took to the streets. Livestream footage showed hundreds of tents in Madrid’s square on Sunday, where demonstrators continue to rally for action and housing protections. The Tenant’s Union estimated that 500,000 people participated in Saturday’s demonstrations. Valeria Racu, Tenant’s Union spokesperson, warned that the movement will continue to put pressure on whoever governs, “so that housing continues to occupy a central place on the political agenda.”
Spain’s acute housing crisis has seen the sharp increase of rental and property prices paired with low wage growth, and a slow rate of housing construction which cannot meet housing demands. Many Spanish residents have protested tourism, which has exacerbated the housing crisis as overseas nationals purchase holiday homes, and companies purchase homes exclusively for short-term holiday lets to tourists. Early last year, the government proposed stricter restrictions on property purchases by non-EU residents.
According to Housing rights group Ni Un Desahucio Más, “over the past 15 years, 763,127 court-ordered evictions have been carried out, impacting the lives of 1.9 million people.” The group is advocating for an eviction moratorium to be extended and converted into a structural measure, thereby “extending its coverage to all evictions of vulnerable families”.
Article 25 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) outlines housing as a human right. The right to housing is also enshrined in the European Social Charter Part I § 31, and the right to protection against poverty and social exclusion as per Part I § 30.
The Tenant’s Union of Madrid said that it plans to organize a general strike, but has not yet announced a date.
The post Thousands protest Spain lawmakers’ rejection of protective measures amid worsening housing crisis appeared first on JURIST - News.
Continue reading...
Note: We don't have any responsibilities about this news. Its been posted here by Feed Reader and we had no controls and checking on it. And because News posted here will be deleted automatically after 21 days, threads are closed so that no one spend time to post and discuss here. You can always check the source and discuss in their site.