Madrid authorities erected a checkpoint at the entrance to Puerta del Sol on Tuesday and announced that anyone wishing to join the housing protest must first pass a 90-minute written examination on the finer points of Spain's new housing decrees. Only those who score at least 85 percent will be issued a numbered tent permit.
The exam, drafted overnight by the municipal housing department, covers the eviction moratorium, the ban on bulk purchases by investment funds, and the precise rent-to-income ratio for protected tenants. «We simply cannot have people camping here who do not understand the legal framework they are protesting against,» said a city hall spokesperson. «It would be irresponsible.»
Protesters already inside the square were given 48 hours to sit the exam or dismantle their tents. Those who fail may appeal by submitting a 2,000-word essay on the history of Spanish housing policy, handwritten and notarized. The regional government, which had threatened to send in the courts, now says it will wait until the exam results are certified.
By evening, a queue of several hundred people stretched down Calle Mayor, many clutching photocopied study guides. A retired schoolteacher who has camped in the square since last week was seen tutoring newcomers on Article 14 of the decree. «I came to protest, not to sit an exam,» said one young man, «but I'll do whatever it takes to keep my tent.»
The first exam session is scheduled for Friday, the same day Parliament will vote on the decrees. City officials say they expect a pass rate of no more than 60 percent, and have ordered 300 additional desks.