Sol Campout for Housing: 150 People and the Echo of 15-M

Sol Campout for Housing: 150 People and the Shadow of 15-M

Can the 15-M movement repeat itself when the left is in power? This is the question hovering over a campout that, at the time of this discussion, had gathered about 150 people in Puerta del Sol to protest the housing crisis, according to a message circulating within the debate itself. The figure is significant: the central government has been in Moncloa for eight years, four of them with Podemos in the vice presidency. The comparison with the 2011 movement arises naturally. And it deflates just as easily.

How Many People Are Actually at the Sol Campout?

The estimated number of attendees is around one hundred and fifty, far from the crowds that overwhelmed the square in 2011. And time is not on their side: one participant predicts rain in Madrid all week, which threatens to empty the camps. Some already consider the call a failure and are demanding that the campers leave the site clean, arguing that taxes should go towards building housing, not cleaning up the square.

The Disconcerting Fact: Housing Competencies Don't Belong to the Government

Here's the twist that breaks the easy narrative. Although the PSOE is criticized for doing nothing about housing access—and some argue they practically implement right-wing policies—one participant recalls that urban planning and housing competencies have been transferred to the autonomous communities. This detail turns any generic protest against Moncloa into a shot without a clear target. Who should act remains, for the moment, unanswered.

Why This Isn't the 15-M of 2011

Parallels accumulate and then fall apart. The 15-M movement, as argued in the debate, emerged when the end of a PSOE cycle and the arrival of the PP were anticipated. Now the context is different: the protest targets a left-wing government accused of paving the way for elections. It's even suggested that institutional advertising blaming the regions was circulating early in the morning. The suspicion that the campout is orchestrated or subsidized circulates without any proof.

Ultimately, the question isn't whether there will be another 15-M. It's whether a movement born against those in power can be reborn by asking those in power to reach an agreement. Rain is expected in Madrid this week.