Rent Wars: Madrid Protests Expose Spain's Housing Fiasco The streets of Madrid have become a battleground for vulnerable residents struggling to find affordable housing.
Thousands of protesters, estimated at over 100,000 by organizers and disputed by authorities at around 23,000, flooded the capital on Sunday, decrying rising rents, unaffordable housing prices, and a crippling shortage that has left many forced to live in overcrowded conditions.
The issue of affordable housing has long plagued Spain, driven by tourism fueled population growth and immigration. The problem is not new; it's been simmering for years.