The China Mail - The voices of Spain's housing camp protesters

The camps sprang up following the eviction last week of Maricarmen Abascal, 87, from the Madrid flat where she had lived for seven decades.

Hundreds of activists have since been camping out in Madrid's central Puerta del Sol square, while protesters in Barcelona have pitched tents in Placa de Catalunya.

Here are some of the testimonies gathered by AFP at the camps.

- The carer -

Rufina Parra, a 56-year-old Ecuadorean woman who works as a carer, had been renting a home in Madrid with her family for a decade when their landlord evicted them in 2023 because he wanted to sell the flat.

"We were left, me as a woman over 50 and my husband, who is over 60, facing the whirlwind" of the property market, said Parra, a volunteer at the Puerta del Sol camp who organises food for demonstrators.

With precarious employment contracts, she faced "nothing but obstacles" when looking for another home, a search which "had a huge impact on my health".

She, her husband, their son, dog and cat ended up living in "sub-standard housing": a 30-square-metre (320-square-feet) basement flat with no natural light, for 800 euros ($900) a month.

- The waiter -

Whalfryd Cruz, a 30-year-old waiter, earns 1,000 euros a month but spends half of it for a room. He has spent two nights camping out in Madrid to demand "solutions now".

Cruz considers himself lucky. He knows people who pay the same for a bed in "a converted living room, an attic or a room without a window -- things that are inhuman".

"It can't be that when my parents brought me to this country as a child" from the Dominican Republic, "we could live on two salaries and practically want for nothing."

Now, he said, "young people can't afford to move out."

- The psychologist -

Ana Grau, a 50-year-old psychologist, said she spent "a long time" unable to leave her partner because she could not afford a home for herself and her two children.

When she finally left, she could only afford a 20-square-metre flat, where she had to "go alone". As she was renting without a contract, her landlord easily evicted her.

After a long search, she found a flat for 1,000 euros a month, but "quite far away" from her children.

"Sometimes I have to rent out the living room to people so they can sleep there, so I can pay for the flat, because I can't make ends meet," said Grau, who came to Sol to support her new partner, who is sleeping in the square.

- The young couple -

Irene Aguilar, 19, and Juan Romero, 23, are a young couple camping in Barcelona who hope to start a life together but still rely on their families and may have to share a flat with several others.

"We're looking for a flat, even if it means sharing it with three other people. And even then, it's expensive," said Aguilar, who studies and works.

"Looking at rents in Barcelona, it's a difficult situation. I can't save or try to build a future," added Romero, who is finishing his studies and looking for work.

- The hospitality worker -

Lois Reinoso, a 31-year-old who works in the hospitality sector, joined Barcelona's protest camp after his shift ended at 1:00 am on Tuesday, pitching his tent in Placa de Catalunya.

He spends much of his salary on rent and says prices have reached "surreal" levels.

"It's impossible to afford a place on your own and live independently as an adult," said Reinoso, who considers himself "privileged" to live with just his partner.

"At our age, for the sake of dignity, we shouldn't still have to share a home with three, four or five people."

Z.Ma--ThChM