A housing demonstration took place in the centre of Málaga during the general strike, despite the rain. The National Police estimated attendance at 12,000, while the Strike Committee claims 50,000.
The housing demonstration that traversed the centre of Málaga during the general strike gathered numerous participants despite the rain. According to Diario Sur, the National Police, whose estimates were distributed by the Government Subdelegation, placed attendance at 12,000 people. The Strike Committee raises the figure to 50,000 and Comisiones Obreras speaks of tens of thousands.
The march, scheduled to start at 18:00 from the Noble Hospital, began on time and there was no consideration to cancel it. The route along the Alameda Principal ended earlier than expected, at the Bridge of the Americas, and the manifesto was read in front of El Corte Inglés at 19:30.
The text of the call stated that the march was taking place because housing costs lives and salaries are insufficient:
“We stop because housing costs us our lives, because salaries are not enough, and because public services are being dismantled.”
Regarding housing, the statement calls for the expropriation of properties held by funds, banks, and large landlords to create a large public park of social housing, as well as an end to tourist apartments. On the labour front, it demands an increase in the minimum interprofessional wage and the IPREM, an indicator used to calculate benefits and subsidies, and an increase in investment in public services.
The spokesperson for the Strike Committee, Carmen Arcas, positively assessed the public response:
“With the rain, it could have amounted to nothing, but people are fed up, they cannot afford the rent.”
Among the attendees were young students who had come to Málaga to study. Esmeralda, Karma, and Daniel, aged between 20 and 23, noted that finding small rooms for 800 euros in the Teatinos neighbourhood was what led them to attend the march. The manifesto concluded that “this strike is just the beginning.”
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