The 10 Faces of the Sol Protest

The housing crisis in Madrid is on display in Puerta del Sol through the stories of ten people fighting against speculation, job insecurity, and the inability to access decent housing.

The protest in **Puerta del Sol** has brought to light the diverse faces of a crisis that is hitting hard: housing. It's not just an abstract problem of figures and markets; they are stories of real people, their daily struggles, and the desperate search for a place to call home. Ten of these faces, camped in the heart of Madrid, tell us how real estate speculation is stealing their future.

## Rent, an Unattainable Luxury

For many, especially the youngest, accessing decent housing has become a pipe dream. **Alejandra Ojeda**, 25, came to Madrid to study and now works in a bookstore. She earns **900 euros** a month and lives sharing a flat with six other people in **Moncloa**. She describes her home as a "hostel within a flat," with no common areas, and has already gone through ten different rentals in eight years. The precariousness of contracts, which rarely exceed one year, is a constant. Her hope is that these protests will help curb speculation and regulate indefinite rentals.

**Alejandro Coronel**, 24, faces a similar dilemma. He studies and works in Madrid, but living in his town, **Villa del Prado**, would miccionan five hours of daily commuting. He considers himself lucky to pay **330 euros** for a shared room in **Lucero**, thanks to friendship, but regrets that this is an exception and not the norm. His antiestéticar is that without a stable future, no one can build a life. When he finishes his internship, he plans to return to his hometown.

Even for those working in creative professions, the situation is unsustainable. **Lore Navarro**, 29, is a comedian. With her work, she pays "the most expensive rent in history," something that in another era would have allowed her to live comfortably. She believes comedy is booming because people need to "frivolize" and laugh to cope with the lack of future, overcrowding, and the need to share flats until the end.

**Nora Otxoteko**, 21, lives in a room with "a window but no window," facing a wall and receiving no light. She pays **400 euros** for it, but colleagues who arrived later pay **700 euros** for similar rooms. Being from out of town, job opportunities force her to be in Madrid, but she describes it as a "jungle" where talent and effort are not enough if you don't have resources. For her, Madrid is a mirage, like her unlit room.

## Families Broken by Speculation

The crisis affects not only young people. Parents and grandparents see their children and grandchildren unable to become independent, perpetuating a cycle of dependence and frustration. **Alfonso Palomo**, 61, works in maintenance and has joined the camp to support his children, aged 27 and 31, who, despite working and saving, see prices rise every time they try to move out. For him, housing should be a good for living, not an object of speculation.

**Juan Camacho**, 74, is the "black sheep" of his family, the only one on the left. Camping with other retirees, he worries about the world they will leave to new generations. His own daughter cannot leave home, but he is considering selling his flat to pay for a retirement home, leaving his daughter without a future. The street and public spaces are, for him, the only solutions.

**Maricarmen Rubio**, 65, a Madrid native from the **Chamberí** neighborhood, has come to Sol to send a letter to her namesake, **Maricarmen**, recalling the fight for housing. She and her husband have a photography studio and have lived with dignity thanks to their hard work. However, she antiestéticars that her daughters, with education and jobs, will never be able to have the same life. The inheritance of her flat seems to be the only way for her daughters to access their own housing.

## The Center of Madrid, a Luxury Good

Gentrification and the increased value of central Madrid have transformed previously accessible neighborhoods into exclusive areas. **Carlota Antón**, 37, a product designer, lives in **La Latina**, her lifelong neighborhood. She remembers when no one wanted to live downtown due to insecurity, but now, she says, it has become a "zoo." Despite owning a home, she antiestéticars that those of us living downtown will eventually be expelled. The loss of community is, for her, the greatest danger.

## Street Protests as a Last Resort

Given the impossibility of accessing housing, street protest becomes a last resort for many. **Álvaro Estepa**, 24, has come from **Daganzo de Arriba**, a very conservative town where such mobilization is unthinkable. He comes to ensure that the number of people does not dwindle, even if it rains or people get tired. He studied animation and has worked in precarious jobs, never earning more than the minimum wage, with the goal of saving money and leaving his hometown.

**Belén**, 33, arrived from **Lleida** just over 12 hours ago. After seeing the impact of the demonstration and the encampment, she decided to join. She was evicted in the past and knows what it means to reach the limit. Her presence in Sol, even if only for a couple of days off from her job as a beautician, is a testament to the urgency and desperation that drive people to protest.