Protests over the price of housing in Spain
Thousands of young people took to the streets yesterday in 60 towns and cities to protest at the price of housing in Spain and to ask the Spanish government to do something to protect the right of young people to buy a decent house.
The protests were organised spontaneously via e-mail messages, websites and sms and were not coordinated by any youth organisation, trade union or any other protest group. The biggest protests were held in Madrid and Barcelona where more than one thousand protesters gathered at the Puerta del Sol and Plaza de Catalunya respectively, and in Valencia (900 protesters). In other towns like Sevilla, Granada, Cordoba, Bilbao and San Sebastian, the concentrations were smaller with 200 to 150 participants.
During the protests, the participants sat down and chanted slogans criticising national and local government for failing to guarantee the right to a house by allowing property prices to rise above what many people can afford. They also criticised real estate speculation with chants like "Hands up, this is a hold up" or "Protect our right to a roof. Housing isn't a business. It's a right".
The protests were organised spontaneously via e-mail messages, websites and sms and were not coordinated by any youth organisation, trade union or any other protest group. The biggest protests were held in Madrid and Barcelona where more than one thousand protesters gathered at the Puerta del Sol and Plaza de Catalunya respectively, and in Valencia (900 protesters). In other towns like Sevilla, Granada, Cordoba, Bilbao and San Sebastian, the concentrations were smaller with 200 to 150 participants.
During the protests, the participants sat down and chanted slogans criticising national and local government for failing to guarantee the right to a house by allowing property prices to rise above what many people can afford. They also criticised real estate speculation with chants like "Hands up, this is a hold up" or "Protect our right to a roof. Housing isn't a business. It's a right".
Labels: economic and business news
6 Comments:
These figures are the oficial number of demonstrators released by the police forces. If you want to know the real strenght of the protests you have to multiply: five times what police counts.
In many cities it wasn't a succesful thing at all. But they succeded in Madrid, a city which faced a traffic collapse yesterday.
Also, I ask you not to forget that it's the first time such a truly democratic demonstration is organised in our country. There is no head; it's the people. The origin was an e-mail chain started by an anonymous person.
The protestors want state control of house prices? That kind of halfwittedness went out with the Soviet Union. The solution is in their own hands: if buyers refuse to pay high prices then houses cannot be sold at those prices.
Mmmm, obviously a bit of an expert on economics then? Unfortunately your opinion does not take into account the fact that Spain has allowed itself to be overcome by real estate speculation, and is now paying the price
At least maybe remove the state and central bankers manipulation of interest rates. Thats the major cause of the high prices, and its also effectively state control of prices dressed up slightly differently.
hey how about a return to Franco? Houses were much cheaper then.
Actually, Spanish banks offer some of the lowest interest rate mortgages in Europe. Mortgages in Spain are much cheaper than mortgages in the UK.
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