Spain’s lefty government evicted an 87-year-old woman from her home of 70 years and thousands of protesters took the streets

Tens of thousands of protesters have taken to the streets of various cities in Spain to demand help for renters, after lawmakers rejected a package of emergency measures aimed at tackling the nation’s housing affordability crisis.

Large crowds marched in Madrid calling for a general strike and affordable housing. In the eastern city of Valencia, police used tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse protesters who broke through the security perimeter outside the City of Arts and Sciences, a futuristic complex by famed architect Santiago Calatrava, where a real estate summit was being held.

Images showed altercations between police and protesters, with officers using batons to strike demonstrators, who threw barriers. There were no immediate reports of injuries.

Public outrage over the eviction of an 87-year-old woman has put Spain’s progressive government under immense pressure to tackle the nation’s entrenched housing cost crisis.

On Monday, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez announced early elections to take place on Nov. 29, aiming to seize on his base’s anger over the rejected housing measures.

Around 1,000........

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