Thousands of Madrid residents took to the streets to protest against rising housing prices
Thousands of Madrid residents gathered to express their dissatisfaction with the skyrocketing cost of housing, RIA Novosti reports
Almost 40 teams of the Habitat 24 platform joined the campaign. Under the ‘Decent and Sustainable Housing — Now!’ slogan, the protesters marched along the route from Charles V Square near the Atocha Station to the central Puerta del Sol Square, urging the government to freeze rental prices and expand the social housing fund. Among them there were representatives of environmental, social and trade union organisations.
The protesters, including many young people and families, demanded increased housing affordability, accusing speculators and large companies of artificially inflating prices.
"We work 40-50 hours a week, but we cannot afford proper housing. At the same time, the apartments are empty, waiting for investors to buy them. Especially shocking is the attitude of the regional government, which has decided to continue to favour the business of investment funds and speculators," 32-year-old Javier Gomez, one of the protesters, said.
The march ended in the central Puerta del Sol Square, where the participants dispersed peacefully. However, they promised to continue putting pressure on the authorities if the demands are not heeded.
