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The Sol march takes the housing protest to Cibeles
After the camp was cleared in the early hours of Monday to Tuesday, around 500 people marched from Sol to Cibeles and back. The protest combined criticism of police actions, a minute's silence for Maricarmen, and a final gathering without incident.
At 7:00 pm, Puerta del Sol was clear: there were no tents or belongings left from the camp that had been cleared out in the early hours between Monday and Tuesday. Only the adhesive tape that had held up tarps and banners on posts and lampposts remained.
About 500 people marched along Calle de Alcalá to Cibeles and back to Sol. The march marked the end of a month-long camp; some of the core organisers had already left the site, as reflected in the evolution of the camp. The protesters called for an end to evictions and chanted: “One eviction, another occupation.”
The eviction, which participants considered violent, shaped the protest. Many people wore masks, Palestinian scarves, or hoods and chanted against the police: “I’d be ashamed to be a police officer.” Although some wanted to stay longer at Cibeles and escalate the confrontation, most chose to talk with the officers. The march passed without incident and included a minute’s silence in honour of Maricarmen.
On returning to Sol, a few hundred protesters sat in front of the police for an hour. The atmosphere was relaxed and someone ironically asked, “Where are our tents?” One young man joked about bringing out hidden tents and camping again; another recalled the bells of the Real Casa de Correos, which rang at night during the first days of the camp.
Before the march, three Jehovah’s Witnesses were preaching by the Cercanías lift. Nearby, City Council workers were painting a lamppost black. Tourists took photos with the bear and the strawberry tree, which was surrounded by a security fence. All that remained of the tents were the marks left by tape on the square.