Jurisdictional transfer to Madrid High Court

A Madrid administrative court transferred the legal battle over the housing protest encampment in Puerta del Sol to the High Court of Justice of Madrid (TSJM) on 2 October 2026. The magistrate presiding over Contentious-Administrative Court Number 14 determined that the tribunal lacked objective competence to rule on the lawsuit filed by the Community of Madrid. Regional President Isabel Díaz Ayuso had lodged the appeal on 1 October 2026, seeking urgent interim injunctions to force the central government delegation and the National Police to clear the square.

The jurisdictional referral occurred after the magistrate requested formal assessments from the Public Prosecutor, the State Attorney representing the Government Delegation in Madrid, and regional legal representatives. All three legal entities agreed that the TSJM held proper jurisdiction because the lawsuit targeted an alleged administrative omission by a peripheral organ of the central state and involved an unquantified monetary claim under the Administrative Jurisdiction Law. The ruling established a 10-day window for parties to appear before the TSJM, deferring the standard 48-hour statutory deadline for judges to decide whether to authorize the forced eviction.

Allegations of cultural heritage damage and safety hazards

The Community of Madrid argued in its court petition that the encampment exceeded constitutional protections for the right of assembly and constituted an unlawful occupation of public space. Legal filings included a formal assessment from the Directorate General of Cultural Heritage and the Spanish Office, which asserted that the gathering caused direct physical harm to two registered Cultural Heritage Assets (BIC): the Real Casa de Correos headquarters and the Statue of the Bear and the Strawberry Tree.

Regional heritage officials warned that actions around the monuments could constitute crimes of spoliation against cultural heritage. Inspectors recorded protesters climbing building facades, scaling window frames and security grilles, painting graffiti, and affixing ropes, banners, and unrelated items to the heritage stone and bronze structures. The Madrid City Council submitted a parallel requirement warning that the crowd density prevented emergency medical and fire teams from operating safely in the square. During a public appearance, Díaz Ayuso criticized central Government Delegate Francisco Martín for permitting the demonstration.

“And if your Macintosh-wearing acrobatic honors do not mind, please clear at least enough space so that ambulances can pass through, not to mention baby strollers and the ordinary life of so many shopkeepers who have had to write to us.”

Protests over housing evictions and pending camp departure

Demonstrators organized by the Sindicato de Inquilinas first erected tents at Madrid's Kilometer Zero on the night of 26 September 2026. The demonstration originated as a protest against the eviction of an elderly woman named Maricarmen from her long-term residence on Avenida Alcalde Sainz de Baranda. Real estate firm Urbagestión, which had owned the apartment since 2018, executed the eviction with National Police units before reaching a subsequent agreement mediated by the Madrid City Council to allow her return to the property.

The legal maneuvers in court coincided with an announcement from the Sindicato de Inquilinas indicating that demonstrators planned to voluntarily dismantle the Puerta del Sol encampment on Saturday, 3 October 2026. Despite the planned departure, the regional administration maintained its legal challenge against the central government delegation, accusing state authorities of persistent inaction in maintaining public order outside the regional government seat.