Tens of thousands of Spaniards marched in downtown Barcelona on Saturday to protest the skyrocketing cost of renting an apartment in the popular tourist destination. Protesters cut off traffic on main avenues in the city center,

Barcelona (AFP) – Thousands of protesters marched through Barcelona on Saturday demanding lower rents in Spain's second city. Barcelona, which has already taken action to stop the spread of holiday rental apartments, is the latest Spanish city to see protests for cheaper housing.

Tens of thousands in Barcelona protested against soaring apartment rental costs, demanding more affordable housing and disrupting city center traffic with homemade signs advocating for fewer investment properties.

Tens of thousands protest in Barcelona against housing crunch and high rents - Rental prices have been driven up by short-term renters including tourists

Housing has become a major issue in Spain as it struggles to balance promoting tourism, a key driver of its economy, and concerns over high rents due to gentrification and landlords shifting to more lucrative,

Tens of thousands of people took to the streets of Barcelona on Satuday evening to demonstrate for affordable housing. Police spoke of about 22,000 participants while the organizers said 170,000 attended,