Madrid's Sol Square Protest Camp Marks One Month Amid Housing Crisis

After police evicted 87-year-old pensioner Maricarmen Abascal from her lifelong Madrid home on September 26, activists set up a protest camp in Puerta del Sol that has evolved into a self-sufficient mini-city with a canteen, clinic, library and themed streets. Hundreds, including 22-year-old laboratory technician Marcos Navarro, have been sleeping there, pressing for rent controls and stronger tenant rights after the Sánchez government’s urgent housing reforms failed and a November 29 election was called.

The camp honors Abascal with a candle shrine and names sections after causes such as “Anger” and “Gaza.” Health worker Orlando Santander runs first-aid services, while anthropologists Sufian Ben and Ayla Herrero note the movement’s resonance across Spain and Europe. Regional president Isabel Díaz Ayuso and some shop owners criticize the encampment for harming business and the city’s image, though others, like the feminist bookshop “Mujeres,” provide support. Campers pledge to remain until “real change” arrives, regardless of who wins the election.