Massive Protests Erupt Against Real Estate Summit in Valencia

• Tens of thousands of protesters marched through Valencia to demand housing rights, facing police rubber bullets and tear gas outside the Valencia Real Estate Summit.
• Demonstrators chanted against speculative practices at the Palau de les Arts, resulting in at least three arrests and widespread calls for a general strike.
• The mobilization highlights the intersection of the housing crisis with labor precarity, migration, and systemic social inequality.

Core Demands

• Immediate 50% reduction in rent prices and implementation of permanent rental contracts.
• Compulsory acquisition of vacant properties held by banks and vulture funds.
• Total ban on tourist apartments and the decommodification of housing.

Intersectionality and Vulnerability

• Activists argue that the housing crisis disproportionately affects female-headed households and migrant populations who spend over 40% of their income on rent.
• Groups from areas recently impacted by extreme weather disasters report that predatory urban planning has exacerbated their vulnerability.
• Advocates link the struggle for housing to the defense of public services, including healthcare and education.

Political Context

• The protests were fueled by the recent failure of the Spanish Congress to pass key housing decrees aimed at protecting tenants.
• Activists emphasized that direct popular pressure is now the only effective tool to counter real estate speculation after parliamentary inaction.