In Madrid Hundreds of people set up a protest camp at the Puerta del Sol over the weekend of 26 and 27 September 2026. Led by the Sindicato de Inquilinas they are pressing the central government to make immediate decisions to protect tenants. The organisers say the camp will be dismantled only if the Consejo de Ministros approves, on Tuesday 29 September, what they call the decreto Maricarmen .
The trigger was the case of an 87-year-old tenant who has become a symbol of the housing debate in recent days. Her imminent eviction sparked widespread outrage and provided the immediate impetus for occupying the square. The organisers say the tents will remain until binding measures are adopted. The activists also say they are preparing to extend the protest into city neighbourhoods to increase the pressure.
Their main demands include stronger legal guarantees for tenants, including automatic contract extensions or the conversion of fixed-term rental agreements into open-ended ones, as well as effective protection against evictions without suitable alternative accommodation. They are also calling for restrictions on short-term rentals and more effective measures against the speculative conversion of housing. These demands are attributed to the protest groups; no official draft proposals were available by the editorial deadline.
The camp is divided into functional areas, including sleeping tents, storage for food and hygiene products, and information points. Participants come from different age groups: young workers facing precarious rents, as well as older people who repeatedly draw parallels with the 15-Mprotests of 2011. Observers say the atmosphere is mostly calm and proceedings are orderly.
City authorities have meanwhile offered to make contact. The Empresa Municipal de Vivienda y Suelo has, according to the organisers, begun talks and arranged appointments to explore possible individual solutions for the tenant concerned. No results had been announced by early Monday morning.
Politically, the protest camp is increasing pressure on the government to act at short notice. Whether, and in what form, the cabinet can adopt an emergency decree remains unclear and depends on the precise scope of the measures being sought. One thing is certain: the activists see Tuesday as a test. No confirmed government decisions had been announced by the time this report was published; assessments of possible consequences are therefore based on the views of protest organisations and available media reports.
Editor: Mira Cadena (Article created with AI assistance).