A housing protest camp in the centre of Malaga has grown to 71 tents as campaigners vow to continue their mobilisation and prepare for a possible general strike.

The improvised encampment has remained in Plaza de la Constitucion since Monday, when protesters marched from Malaga City Council following the eviction of 87-year-old Maricarmen in Madrid.

Its size has increased rapidly, from 23 tents on Monday to 50 on Tuesday and 71 by Wednesday.

Around 100 people attended the latest assembly organised by the Malaga Tenants’ Union and housing campaign group Un Techo por Derecho.

Protesters agreed to remain in the square for at least one more day and night, with another meeting planned to decide whether the encampment should continue.

‘This is only the beginning,’ organisers said.

‘We are preparing a general strike and will continue working in that direction. Maricarmen is returning to her home, but that does not mean this is going to stop.

‘Whether there is a decree or not, we are not going to stop. There must not be another eviction and we demand indefinite rental contracts.’

The groups have organised a further demonstration for 7pm on Saturday, October 3, departing from Plaza de la Constitucion.

Campaigners said Maricarmen’s eviction had been ‘the final straw’ following two years of protests against Malaga’s housing crisis.

‘The investors are the invaders,’ they declared.

Maricarmen is now expected to return to her Madrid home after an agreement was reached for a new eight-year tenancy with rent capped at approximately 30% of her income.

However, protesters in Malaga argue that her case represents only one example of a much broader problem involving rising rents, evictions and a lack of affordable housing.

Un Techo por Derecho, which supports people facing eviction in Malaga, has requested a meeting with the city council and Mayor Francisco de la Torre.

Speakers at the assembly criticised both the central Government and De la Torre, accusing them of governing in the interests of landlords and people who profit from rent.

They also criticised the Government’s decision to divide its latest housing proposals between two separate decrees, arguing that the original package already represented the minimum acceptable response.

Former Malaga councillor Ysabel Torralbo highlighted the cases of four evicted women who attended the protest but would not benefit from the proposed measures if they are approved.

Campaigners pledged to continue fighting until those affected receive suitable accommodation.

Organisers have urged participants to keep the square clean and refrain from drinking alcohol in public to avoid giving authorities grounds to remove the camp.