On Strike for a Different Spain

Key Points:

• Maricarmen, an 87-year-old long-term tenant in Madrid, was evicted after her rent was raised by 500% by a company aiming for profit, sparking violent police action and becoming a symbol of the housing crisis and worker struggles in Spain.
• The eviction ignited widespread protests reflecting deep dissatisfaction among the working class, especially youth, with housing, wages, government policies, and broader systemic issues under capitalism.
• The housing crisis is tied to capitalist market dynamics, including speculation by wealthy landlords and stagnant wages, exacerbated by government policies favoring profit over social needs, with repression of housing activists under laws maintained by both right-wing and progressive governments.
• The Communist Youth of Spain (CJS) emphasize building a disciplined, militant working-class organization focused on long-term revolutionary goals, distinguishing themselves from reformist tenants’ unions while cooperating on shared objectives.
• CJS rejects participation in upcoming elections, criticizes mainstream unions for government alignment, and supports a general strike aimed at strengthening class struggle and promoting the creation of an independent workers’ party and socialist alternatives to capitalism.