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Thousands of protesters marched through Barcelona on Saturday demanding lower rents in Spain’s second city.<\/p>\n
Barcelona, which has already taken action to stop the spread of holiday rental apartments, is the latest Spanish city to see protests for cheaper housing.<\/p>\n
Backed by left-wing parties and unions, the demonstrators gathered in central Barcelona behind a giant banner declaring “Lower the rents”.<\/p>\n
“Today a new political cycle starts concerning housing,” Carme Arcarazo, spokesperson for the Catalan Tenants Union, the main organiser, told reporters.<\/p>\n
“Investors must not be allowed to come to our cities and play with the apartments like a game of Monopoly,” she added.<\/p>\n
The union would target “profiteers” who are taking “half of our salaries”, Arcarazo said.<\/p>\n
The demonstrators demanded a 50 percent cut in rents, leases with an unlimited term and a ban on “speculative” sales of buildings. They threatened to start a rent strike.<\/p>\n
An estimated 22,000 people took part in a similar demonstration in Madrid on October 13. Campaigns have been launched in other cities.<\/p>\n
According to the Idealista specialised website, rental prices per square metre have risen 82 percent across Spain over the past decade.<\/p>\n
The average salary has gone up by 17 percent in that time, according to the national statistics institute.<\/p>\n
Facing pressure over a housing crisis, the government in 2023 passed legislation calling for more social housing, greater restrictions on rents in high demand areas and penalties for owners who do not occupy properties.<\/p>\n
But rents have continued to rise while the government has battled city and regional authorities to get some parts of the law applied.<\/p>\n
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