Spaniards protest housing crisis as Sánchez weighs snap vote

A wave of housing protests swept across dozens of Spanish cities on Saturday as Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez weighed calling a snap election. The largest demonstration took place in Madrid, where four columns of protesters filled the capital’s main boulevards before converging on Cibeles Square. The Spanish Tenants Union, which organized the protests, said 500,000 people took to the streets, while the government’s delegation in Madrid estimated 70,000 protesters participated. Spanish Tenants Union spokesperson Valeria Racu said the turnout reflected public exasperation with political leaders who have failed to tackle a housing crisis in which average rents have risen nearly 90% over the past decade.