After 40 days in Madrid’s Puerta del Sol, most of the groups that organized and coordinated the Acampada 26S protest have decided to leave the square and move their work into neighborhoods. In a statement distributed by Europa Press, the organizers said they would dissolve the camp’s commissions and transform the initiative into a broader social and working-class movement known as Movimiento 26S.
The group said its immediate priority would be organizing the general strike scheduled for November 11. It also stated that its activity would continue regardless of the outcome of the November 29 elections or of which parties occupy seats in Congress afterward.
Acampada 26S described the move as the end of its activity in Puerta del Sol, rather than the end of the movement itself. The organizers said the camp had served as a starting point and that the collective had gained experience while changing the public debate around housing.
The campaign began after the September 23 eviction of Maricarmen, an elderly woman who had lived in the same apartment since 1956 under an old rental contract. She died in hospital on October 7, shortly after the eviction. The protest later inspired similar housing camps in 27 Spanish cities.
The removal of the tents in Puerta del Sol has not taken place as planned. The organizers said they had prepared a detailed, phased dismantling protocol, but that “different circumstances” prevented the operation from being completed as intended.
A separate group called the Association of Homeless People has emerged within the camp. Acampada 26S stressed that the association has its own organization and objectives and operates autonomously. The two groups have no representation or coordination relationship, according to the statement. Members of some original commissions, including the communications group, are also reported to remain in the square.
ABC, citing a protest spokesperson, reported that around 50 homeless people had taken over the camp. They are mainly men who had previously helped set up tents and awnings, alongside some of the original protesters who chose to stay.
The camp’s future is also affected by warnings from Madrid’s Government Delegation. It has contacted the protesters twice, arguing first that the demonstration’s stated purpose had already been fulfilled and later urging them to take the necessary steps to dismantle the installations as soon as possible.
The occupation had also become a point of dispute between the government delegation and Madrid’s regional authorities, while the protest itself faced possible internal fatigue, a changing political climate and tensions linked to Blocus demonstrations. Despite those challenges, Acampada 26S maintains that its pressure contributed to changing the housing debate and to the rapid processing of four housing-related decrees. Two were rejected by Congress, while only one of the two measures approved by the Council of Ministers in early October was considered likely to pass through the Congressional Permanent Deputation.
Sources: Xataka.