Tens of thousands of Barcelona residents – according to the police, around 22,000 people – took to the streets on Saturday to protest against the high rents in the popular tourist destination.
Among other things, the demonstrators' signs bore messages criticizing the fact that apartments are being bought up as investments and not used as residences.
The average rent in Spain has doubled over the past ten years, and the price increases have been particularly noticeable in major cities like Barcelona and Madrid.
Many locals also see tourism as a contributing factor to the skyrocketing rents.
Barcelona City Council has promised to rid the city of 10,000 so-called "tourist apartments", residences with permits for short-term rental, by 2028.
