A historic demonstration against unattainable rental prices collapses Barcelona by Victor Serri

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A historic demonstration against unattainable rental prices collapses Barcelona

Copyright Victor Serri 2024

Updated Dec 2024

Topics Barcelona, City, Documentary, Editorial, Gentrification, Photojournalism, Social, Spotlight, Tourism

Tens of thousands of people filled the center of Barcelona this Saturday to demand an immediate drop in rent prices and the right to decent housing for all people. More than 4,000 organizations and 60 committees have made a massive call to join this march that has overflowed the capital of Catalonia since before 5:00 p.m., and that is still going around the city with more and more people joining.

1The Tenants' Union, a coordinating entity of the mobilization, brings "four clear and urgent demands." The drop in rents by 50% since prices, they explain, have doubled in the last decade, systematically impoverishing working families; the implementation of indefinite contracts "to put an end to blackmail and insecurity at the end of each contract"; recover housing for residential use, "empty, tourist and seasonal housing must return to the residential market"; ban speculative purchases and tax timeshares to end the accumulation of housing.

More than 30 columns have been left from different points in the metropolitan area of Barcelona. All its neighbourhoods moved, all because of the same anger towards administrations unable to deal with real estate employers, vulture funds, rentiers, tourist rentals, and any gentrifying agents who make the average rent price in the Catalan capital today stand at 1,178 euros, already above the interprofessional minimum wage. However, it is not a problem that only affects Barcelona. The average rental price in Catalonia is 848 euros. Since 2014, they recall from the Tenants' Union, the rent has risen by 45%.

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Victor Serri

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