Puerta del Sol camp thins out as shops report October falls of up to 66%

Tents come down as the camp nears a month

The protest camp in Madrid's Puerta del Sol had fewer tents than before on Monday, 26 October, as the occupation approached its first month. The camp grew out of a housing march on 26 September, when a group of attendees spontaneously pitched tents after the march ended and demanded, among other things, approval of the so-called 'Maricarmen decree'. Some tents were moved to free passage at the Arenal and Preciados streets and at the Cercanías exit known as the 'whale'. Organisers wrote on social media that the camp goes on, that new people are arriving, and that decisions rest with the assembly rather than with anonymous sources.

Government and opposition trade blame

Rita Maestre, the municipal spokesperson for Más Madrid, said the camp has more than enough reasons to continue. She argued that housing powers are regional and accused the Popular Party of shifting the problem onto others, while saying regional and city governments had done nothing but speculate. Maestre declined to say whether the camp should be lifted, leaving that choice to the protesters, and praised the central government's delegate in Madrid, Francisco Martín, who has resigned.

Miguel Ángel García Martín, the regional councillor for Presidency, Justice and Local Administration, called for the camp to be cleared quickly. He complained of vandalism against heritage, damage to local shopkeepers, and insults and threats against regional president Isabel Díaz Ayuso, which he said did not befit a democratic state.

“The first task of the new government delegate will be to evict this illegal encampment.”

García Martín added that he would hold Pedro Sánchez and his government directly responsible for whatever happens at the square. On the Telecinco programme El programa de Ana Rosa, presenter Ana Rosa Quintana also called for the campers to leave so the Christmas tree could go up in the square.

“I appeal, please, for these guys to leave and let them put up the Christmas tree.”

Shops report steep falls in October

El Mundo, citing a report by Redsys that it had accessed, said 16 shops in and around the square took in 1.45 million euros between 1 and 20 October 2025, but only 930,000 euros in the same period of 2026. The paper put the overall drop at 36%. Tobacco shops near the camp recorded 66% less turnover in October than a year earlier, kiosks 63% less, perfumeries 54% less and currency exchange outlets 50% less.

Tobacco shops66%

Kiosks63%

Perfumeries54%

Currency exchange50%

Tobacco shops

66 %

Kiosks

63 %

Perfumeries

54 %

Currency exchange

50 %

Data from the article text

ABC reported that the merchants' associations Cocem and Acotex, led by Armando Rodríguez and Eduardo Zamácola, described the situation as very hard, with textile sales down between 65% and 80%. The same report put losses in specialised retail at between 25 and 30 million euros in lost earnings in the affected zone.

“The situation is desperate.”

Assault and violence inside the camp

Police detained a 26-year-old man suspected of sexually assaulting a 22-year-old woman who was sleeping in a tent at 6.30 am on Saturday, 24 October. According to ABC, the suspect had entered the tent, and when the woman objected, another camper sleeping nearby intervened to defend her. García Martín referred to the assault when he criticised the camp. ABC also reported an earlier incident in which a 60-year-old man attacked one of the camp's female coordinators and threatened her, with a knife held to her neck.

Wind-down planning and the 11 November strike

EL PAÍS reported that organisers had started planning a wind-down, with Sunday, 25 October, described by sources in the organisation as 'day zero', although no decision has been taken and no visible changes have been made yet. Some campers want to stay until the general strike on 11 November, while others want to leave so they can focus on organising it. In public, the organisation denies that any wind-down is under way, but in private some activists acknowledge the debate has run for weeks. The plan involves removing tents, tarpaulins and materials, cleaning the square so it is left as it was before, and passing leftover food, tools and clothing to NGOs and social movements. Sources said the process could take several weeks.

Political context

The camp reached 29 days on Sunday, 25 October, surpassing the length of the 15M camp of 2011, according to EL PAÍS. The camp forced votes on the Maricarmen decrees, which fell after the opposition and Junts refused them, and it has prompted an early election, which El Mundo dates to 29 November. EL PAÍS expects housing to be a central pillar of the campaign in the coming weeks.