Rocketing unemployment fed a wave of mortgage defaults and evictions across Spain during the 2008-2013 financial crisis. Those forced out often remained saddled with debt thanks to punitive mortgage legislation. In response, activists created the Platform for People Affected by Mortgages (PAH), best known for forming human shields to defend families against expulsion from their homes by police, as well as for vibrant protests outside the homes of politicians. Direct action stopped thousands of evictions.
PAH members were mainly women and frequently migrants. Those affected came together to raise awareness and overcome feelings of guilt – something encouraged by the government’s repeated claim that Spaniards had ‘lived beyond their means’. With allies, such as unions and participants in the indignados (‘The Outraged’) square occupations, they ran diverse campaigns around achievable goals, including collecting 1.4 million signatures to back a new mortgage bill.
