Politics
Tens of thousands across Spain protest housing crisis after parliament rejects reform decrees
October 3, 2026 at 02:59 PM
Coverage
6 reports · 2 in Arabic, 4 in English · over 10 hours
Tens of thousands protested Saturday in Madrid and other cities after Congress rejected two housing decrees drawn up following the eviction of 87-year-old Maricarmen Abascal.
- Congress voted down the decrees 178–172 and 184–166; the People's Party, Vox, and Together for Catalonia voted against.
- Authorities said 70,000 people protested across Spain, while organisers claimed 500,000.
- In Valencia, police fired rubber bullets and teargas at protesters, and around 30 people entered a cultural venue before being removed.
- People's Party lawmaker Juan Bravo said housing becomes affordable by building more homes, not through decrees.
- Demonstrators marched in Madrid and about 50 other cities across Spain, demanding measures to make housing affordable.
- Protesters in Madrid and other cities called for a general strike to demand affordable housing.
- The failed votes deepened a political crisis for Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, whose decrees were blocked by Junts, prompting calls for early elections.





