Police clear housing protest camp in central Madrid

National and municipal police cleared the camp in the early hours of Tuesday 3 November. It had occupied the central square since 26 September, drawing attention to housing costs and the right to housing.

The protest began after the eviction of Maricarmen Abascal, an 87-year-old woman who could no longer afford the rent on the home where she had lived for decades.

The group Acampada 26S said several people were injured by blows and pepper spray during what it described as a violent police operation. Spain’s government delegation in Madrid denied that violence had been used, El Diario de Madrid reported.

The delegation said it had asked for the camp to be dismantled before the operation. It argued that the nature of the settlement had changed after leading organisations left and cited police reports of alleged criminal incidents in and around the camp.

The main participating organisations had already withdrawn and planned to move their campaigning into Madrid’s neighbourhoods, according to El Diario de Madrid. Some participants had chosen to remain in the square.