National and municipal police forces in Madrid carried out a clearance operation at the Puerta del Sol camp this Tuesday. The intervention proceeded without significant incidents, though two individuals were detained for resisting authority. According to sources from the EFE news agency, the evacuation took place around 3:00 AM local time (2:00 AM Lisbon time), by which point tents were already being dismantled.
Madrid City Council cleaning services are set to transport the removed tents to municipal storage facilities. Authorities stated that these items will be held for claim by their owners. Police sources indicated that approximately 300 people were sleeping at the camp during the operation. The progressive dissolution of the encampment had been previously announced by the organizing group in preparation for a general strike scheduled for November 11.
The protest camp was established on September 26 to demand solutions to the housing crisis. This mobilization followed the eviction and subsequent death of Maricarmen Abascal, an 87-year-old woman who had lived as a tenant at the same address for seven decades. Following the expulsion, the Government Delegation in Madrid issued a statement emphasizing that the gradual clearance over recent days occurred without violence. The government asserted that the operation aimed to guarantee the peaceful exercise of fundamental rights, protect people and property, and restore normal use of Puerta del Sol.
Sources: Observador.