General strike | Tenant struggles against the right in Spain

The bunch of keys has become a symbol of the rent movement in Spain Photo: dpa If you want to know what makes the European right tick, you have to look to Spain. There will be elections there on November 29th, and if all the polls are not wrong, the right-wing conservative PP will then govern with the right-wing extremist Vox - as is already the case in many Spanish autonomous communities.

The two right-wing parties have a lot in common: the conservative PP emerged from the old power apparatus at the end of the dictatorship. At Vox, quite a few MPs even support General Franco as a matter of course. Both parties do not have a fundamental problem with Latin American workers, but primarily agitate against Muslim migrants. Although combating the alleged "Jewish-Masonic conspiracy" was one of the cornerstones of Francoism, both parties are now loyal to Israel. And the EU has little to fear from them geopolitically: PP and Vox are behind NATO and arms deliveries to Ukraine.

Raul Zelik is an author and “nd” collectivist.

Above all, both parties were decidedly against the general strike that paralyzed the country this Wednesday. Vox described the strike, which was directed against skyrocketing rents, as a “paid favor from the unions to the government.” The PP spoke of an “elite” that was causing “irreparable damage” to the country – and was referring to the strikers. As close to the people as the right likes to present itself, it also resolutely defends the interests of real estate funds. In the Vox area, companies have even emerged that can be rented for the eviction of apartments.

Since 87-year-old Maricarmen Abascal was thrown out of her apartment in September, the housing issue has been at the center of Spanish debates. The Plaza del Sol in Madrid was occupied for weeks and millions took part in the general strike on Wednesday. Under pressure from the movement, Social Democratic Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez tried to impose a moratorium on forced evictions. When he couldn't get a majority in parliament, he called for new elections.

The situation is dramatic for millions of people. For many years, the rate of homeowners in Spain was extremely high - more than 70 percent still live in their own home. But because capital from all over the world is flowing into the real estate industry, prices are exploding in big cities: in Madrid, the average price per square meter of a condominium is 3,500 euros, even in the poorest districts. The minimum wage (including special payments), however, is 1,400 euros per month. Accordingly, only a few people get a loan. At the same time, rental apartments are expensive and the tenancy agreement has little legal protection.

Against this background, self-organized tenant initiatives have emerged all over the Spanish state. The so-called Sindicatos de Inquilinas have become a large social movement and the most important opponent of the right. But because the media companies continue to do everything they can to ensure that the issue of migration rather than social inequality dominates the debates, the right will probably still win in the elections in two weeks.

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