More than a thousand demonstrators marched through Santander on Saturday under the slogan 'Cantabria para vivir' to protest the priority given to tourism and investment funds over residents.
The march, held on June 6, brought together housing unions, public service advocates and those affected by investment funds. Participants demanded that tourism serve only as a complement and not as an axis that expels residents. Diego San Gabriel, spokesperson for 'Cantabria no se vende', criticized Mayor Gema Igual for rejecting a tourist tax and compared tourism to a cuckoo that preys on other nests. The neglect of Article 47 of the Constitution on the right to housing was also denounced. A group of tenants from Hermanos Calderón Street, whose homes were sold by Mosaic Propco to a Luxembourg fund, joined the protest. Their spokesperson Laura lamented that the right of first refusal was not offered and stated they would continue demonstrating to defend Article 47.
