Madrid Puerta del Sol camp cleared on 3 November 2026

What changes for visitors and residents in the Canary Islands?

The clearance took place in Madrid, not in the Canary Islands. The camp stood on the Puerta del Sol, the well-known square in the Spanish capital.

None of the sources we checked mentions a rule change for residents or visitors in the Canary Islands. They also say nothing about prices, deadlines or closures on Tenerife, Gran Canaria or the other islands.

If you are travelling to the south of Tenerife, there is no reason to change bookings or apply for anything, as things stand. That follows from the absence of reports; no authority has issued a warning or notice on the matter.

If you are heading on to Madrid in the coming days, the sources give no details of barriers or traffic around the square. If you have a hotel or an appointment there, ask the provider directly.

What happened at the Puerta del Sol overnight into 3 November?

The government delegation in Madrid, the central government's office in the region, and the city police removed the last campers, Canarias7 reports. Pilar Trinidad heads the delegation.

She calls the clearance a “last resort” that followed a step-by-step approach. The protests, the delegation says, had lost their original character and turned into disruption of public order.

The camp organisers strongly disagree. They accuse riot police of a “violent” operation using pepper spray and say several people were injured.

The delegation told the news agency Europa Press that the clearance passed without violence. As Canarias7 notes, its statement mentions neither the alleged police attacks nor tear gas.

The text gives no figures for arrests, injuries or people removed, and it was marked as continuously updated. It also leaves open who ordered the operation.

How did the camp in Madrid come about?

The trigger was the eviction of María del Carmen Abascal, known as Maricarmen, 87, from the flat where she had lived for 70 years. A large demonstration followed at the end of September 2026, and the camp grew out of it.

Early reports spoke of around 150 tents. On 30 September RTVC then reported more than 1,000 people and 500 tents.

Euronews described a small town with a canteen and a medical post. The protesters demanded a decree named after Maricarmen, but it is not confirmed whether one was passed.

According to Euronews, the tenants' union demands open-ended rental contracts, the expropriation of homes held by investment funds and much lower rents. The camp stood outside the seat of the Madrid regional government.

Regional president Isabel Díaz Ayuso and Madrid mayor Almeida called for the clearance. Around 29 September Ayuso gave the central government a deadline of 24 or 48 hours, and reports differ on which.

On 1 October Ayuso took the matter to court. On 5 October 2026 the Madrid high court (TSJM) refused an immediate clearance, citing the right to assembly, proportionality and the fact that an eviction cannot be undone.

The regional government pointed to damage to a facade and a statue, hygiene problems and losses for shops and tourism. In mid-October Articulo14 reported 180 city fines in Sol for cleanliness, consumption, alcohol and drugs.

What does Tenerife have to do with the camp?

Santa Cruz de Tenerife had its own housing camp outside the Cabildo (island government). It lasted five days and ended on 5 October 2026, RTVC reports, and more than 200 people camped there.

The organisers, the Sindicato de Inquilinas en Tenerife (SIT) and Derecho al Techo, put attendance at about 10,000 at the nationwide demonstration on Saturday. David González is the SIT spokesperson.

The activists cite rent rises of more than 120% in many municipalities and over 200,000 empty homes. These are the organisers' figures, as RTVC reports them.

They also draw on Cáritas data: 560,000 people, 25% of the population, live in inadequate housing, the highest rate in Spain. Our research did not find the period or method of that survey.

The link between Madrid and Tenerife is the housing issue, not the place. We did not find whether the Tenerife organisers have announced follow-up actions.

What is still open and what comes next?

A nationwide general strike for the right to housing is announced for 11 November 2026, according to a Euronews summary.

Early elections are set for 29 November 2026, according to search summaries, and that date is also unchecked. No source mentions any effect on flights or ferries to the Canary Islands.

It is unclear whether the TSJM has ruled finally. We did not find the reply of the public prosecutor, who was to be heard first.

The roles are clear: the regional government filed the request, the TSJM rules, and the government delegation commands the police. The cost of the operation and who pays for it have not been published.