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Spanish Protesters Demand Housing Reforms Amid Eviction Crisis

11:21 AM ETConfirmed

World Desk

In Short: The Spanish government has yet to respond to the demands of the protesters, who are calling for a general strike over the housing crisis.

In Madrid, one of the largest demonstrations saw tens of thousands of protesters clash with police, with some protesters throwing objects and police responding with rubber bullets.

The protests were particularly intense in Valencia, where photographs showed protesters clashing with police near the Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía, which was hosting a real estate summit.

The Spanish Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, lost a key vote on housing legislation after the eviction of an 87-year-old woman, Maricarmen Abascal, who has become a symbol of Spain's housing crisis.

The protesters are calling for lower rents, an end to evictions, and a ban on investment funds buying property.

The Madrid Tenants' Union said that although the government's proposed measures were insufficient, the rejection of the proposed legislation exacerbates the housing crisis, which is costing the working class their lives.

Barcelona and Madrid are Spain's most expensive cities to rent a home, with rents at €23.80 per square metre and €22.70 per square metre respectively.

The protesters are also pressing the government for a written order to ensure the implementation of promised stipend-related decisions.

The Spanish government has yet to respond to the demands of the protesters, who are calling for a general strike over the housing crisis.

Background

What's confirmed

• Anti-government protesters march against rising diesel prices and fuel shortages in Cochabamba, Bolivia, Friday, Sept.
• Hundreds of masked anti-immigration protesters have blocked roads leading to Britain’s busiest ferry port, clogging traffic and disrupting travelers and cargo vehicles heading for France.
• “I bet if you asked any one of those ‘protesters’ they wouldn’t know small boat crossing are down by 40% and we are working hard to fix the mess,” he wrote on Facebook on Saturday.
• The Port of Dover said Saturday morning that all traffic in and out was “stopped due to an ongoing public order incident,” and police said they were “engaging with the protesters.” Video posted on social media showed several dozen men in black, their faces covered, standing across a major road near the port.

What's still developing

• Major protest in Spain as millions struggle to find an affordable home Thousands of protesters have taken to the streets across Spain calling for greater protections for tenants after the government failed to get emergency housing legislation through parliament on Friday.
• Several protesters removed barriers and threw objects at officers, who responded with rubber bullets, Spanish media reported.
• Tens of thousands took to the streets of Madrid to protest Tensions arose between some protesters and police officers in Valencia One of the biggest demonstration is happening in the capital, Madrid.
• Clashes have taken place between some protesters and police in the city.
• In each episode, two political heavyweights from across the EU face off to propose a diversity of opinions and spark conversations around the most important issues of EU affairs and the wider European political life.
• Why Record Heat Failed to Lift U.S. Natural Gas Prices Syria raised diesel prices 40% and gasoline prices by as much as 28% on Saturday, and protesters blocked the highway linking Damascus to Aleppo and burned tires along the road to Turkey within 24 hours, the widest unrest since Bashar al-Assad's fall in December 2024.
• Published 13 Sept 2026, 14:58 UTC Updated 14 Sept 2026, 01:34 UTC Syria · updated 3h ago · 3 min read Prices for diesel up 40% to 175 lira amid global costs and Banias refinery maintenance Gasoline prices rise 25-40% across derivatives, effective midnight; temporary measure Whether live ammunition was used against protesters. 2 of 3 outlets skipped it: protests spread with road blockages and attempted self-immolation. tap a side to read it in full i24NEWS emphasises live ammunition during protests while ANHA does not mention it.
• Annahar reported protests in Deir ez-Zor, Hasakeh, and Raqqa, including burning tires in front of the municipality building in Tal Abyad and road blockades in the 47 area, where videos showed protesters blocking the road in front of oil-truck tankers on the M4 road.
• Al-Talfaz Al-Arabi described protesters preventing oil tankers from passing and said a video showed protesters blocking oil tankers in the town of al-Karama in the eastern countryside of Raqqa as they were en route to the refineries in Homs and Banias. i24NEWS reported that security forces fired live ammunition while attempting to disperse demonstrators, and it cited the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights on clashes in Raqqa, Hasakah, and Deir ez-Zor.
• Protesters gather at Dover Priory train station after black-clad and masked demonstrators blocked roads during a protest, in Dover, England, Saturday, Sept. 5, 2026.
• Police said Saturday they were “engaging with the protesters,” and roads reopened by midday.
• Social media footage showed dozens of men dressed in black standing across a major road near the port and shouting “stop the boats.” Dover has been the site of previous anti-immigrant protests focused on migrants crossing the Channel from France in small boats.

Sources

• BBClink
• Euronews.comlink
• Asianmaillink
• Bozemandailychroniclelink
• Oilpricelink
• Newscordlink
• Record-Eaglelink
• NBC Newslink
• Inkllink
• Al Jazeeralink
• DWlink
• Union-Bulletinlink
• Timesofisraellink
• WarpBeat — background on Evicted Woman Set to Return Home as Spain Announces Plans to Fix Housing Crisis link
• NewsHoundLive — video link