Community organizers will stage a march on Saturday, October 19, to demand more housing for local residents and fewer tourist apartments. Protesters will rally under the banner “Valencia s’ofega” (Valencia is drowning).
In their call to action, organizers stated: “The city we want is one that is not for sale. A Valencia that puts its people first, guarantees access to housing for everyone, fosters neighborhood life, strengthens community networks, and protects its territory. A city for those who inhabit it.”
The main march will begin at 6:30 p.m. at the Torres de Serrano in El Carmen and will proceed to the Plaza del Ayuntamiento. Organizers are also encouraging columns of demonstrators from other neighborhoods to join in as they converge on the city center.
Organizers chose the date of Oct 19 to recall the 1957 flood that inundated the city on that date. Their manifesto reads: “The rise in housing prices, the flooding of tourist apartments, and the destruction of the territory, require exceptional measures throughout the Valencian Community such as those required to confront this disaster.”
This protest is part of a growing backlash against the rise in tourist apartments and skyrocketing rents in Valencia. According to the latest data from the University of Valencia, the city welcomed 22,000 new residents last year, but the availability of long-term rentals, particularly in the city center, has drastically fallen. This housing shortage has driven rents up by over 70% in the past five years.
