Marseille Housing event

Housing Day in Marseille – 3rd of May 2025

On 3rd of May 2025, the city of Marseille hosted an important event for the defence of housing rights, organized by the Party of the European Left (EL) in partnership with the French Communist Party (PCF). This followed on from the EL’s recent housing event in Madrid.

This initiative, which was part of the broader EL housing campaign, brought together political leaders, activists, and community representatives to discuss the growing housing crisis and propose viable alternatives for affordable housing. The campaign slogan was clear: “Housing is not a privilege, it’s a right!”. The day was marked by two important outdoor moments as well as in-depth discussions, highlighting the urgent need for a more equitable housing policy across Europe.

Morning session

A exploratory walk through Aubagne street

The day began with an emotional exploratory walk through the Rue d’Aubagne neighbourhood, a place deeply affected by the tragic collapse of two buildings in 2018, which resulted in the deaths of eight people. This incident remains a powerful symbol of the ongoing housing crisis in Marseille. The walk was led by Sophie Camard, the Mayor of the 1st and 7th districts of Marseille, who provided a historical and political context to the area’s housing problems.

As part of the walk, Sophie Camard reflected on the grim reality of substandard housing, explaining how some families had been forced to live in deplorable conditions. However, she also emphasized the solidarity shown by local communities, who rallied around the victims and called for necessary change. According to Sophie Camard, the tragic events in Rue d’Aubagne acted as a wake-up call for the city, leading to substantial public investments aimed at rehabilitating the area and preventing further catastrophes.

She highlighted that public funds, via the “Société Publique Locale d’Aménagement d’Intérêt National”, were being allocated to rebuild the neighbourhood, showcasing a model where public interest, rather than private speculation, drives the reconstruction efforts. This approach has been hailed as a success in countering the forces of gentrification and speculative real estate, which often price out local residents.

A significant point raised by the Mayor was that the spot where the two buildings collapsed would not be rebuilt with new housing, but instead transformed into a resource centre, symbolizing a commitment to public investment rather than profit-driven real estate development.

Operation “Anti key-boxes Airbnb” in public space

The PCF and the EL organised an action with activists placing stickers “Housing is not a privilege, it’s a right!” in key-boxes in public space in Le Panier district, to denounce the spread of short-term rentals, which is driving up rents and displacing local residents.

Afternoon session

Debates on housing challenges and solutions

The afternoon session took place at the PCF’s Bouches-du-Rhône headquarters, where two round-table discussions were held. The first round-table focused on the current state of bad housing conditions and the growing phenomenon of “uberization” in both France and Europe. It was moderated by Hélène Bidard (Member of the EL Political Secretariat).

The panel featured various political and social figures, including Marianne Margaté, a PCF senator from Seine-et-Marne, who shared insights from her work on managing co-ownerships in France.

Margaté pointed out the significant flaws in how collective housing is managed and the gaps in tenant protection policies.

Simon de Beer, a representative from the Workers’ Party of Belgium (PTB), discussed the housing struggles in Brussels, where real estate speculation has led to the displacement of working-class communities. Christophe Casanova, a journalist for La Marseillaise, shed light on the #BalanceTonTaudis campaign, which provides a space for tenants living in unhealthy and unsafe housing conditions to denounce these conditions.

Ismael Gonzales, the coordinator of the EL housing campaign, provided a European perspective on the issue, emphasizing that the housing crisis was not an isolated problem in individual countries but a widespread issue across the continent. He highlighted alarming statistics, such as the fact that between 2010 and 2023, housing rents in the EU rose by 22%, while property prices soared by 48%, far outpacing wage growth. He also pointed to the commodification of housing, facilitated by platforms like Airbnb, and the financialization of the real estate market as key contributors to the worsening crisis.

The second round-table session focused on alternatives and solutions to the housing crisis in both France and Europe. Moderated by Sylvie Vinceneux (Head of the Housing Committee of the PCF), the discussion featured a variety of proposals. Julien Sueres, representing the CNL (National Confederation of Housing), highlighted the growing pressure on tenants in France, including rent hikes and rising evictions. He called for a large-scale, transpartisan campaign, involving Trade Unions, to make the right to housing a constitutional priority. One of the key proposals raised during this session was the creation of a “Social Security for Housing”. This proposal aims to establish a sixth branch within France’s social security system dedicated to housing.

Patricia Tejas from the CGT (General Confederation of Labour) presented recent research on workers’ housing protections, while Romane Massip from the Young Communists of France (MJCF) discussed the difficulties faced by young people in accessing affordable housing, particularly for students and young workers. Christoph Haill, from the Austrian Communist Party (KPÖ), provided an example from Austria, where rents have risen sharply despite a history of public housing programmes. He stressed that public investment in housing needs to be prioritized to ensure long-term affordability for all.

A European struggle for the right to housing

The event in Marseille is part of a larger European campaign coordinated by the EL. This movement advocates the decommodification of housing, the regulation of short-term rentals, the ban on evictions without rehousing, and substantial investments in public and sustainable housing. The issues discussed at the event resonated deeply in Marseille, where 45,000 people are on the waiting list for social housing, and thousands live in unhealthy conditions.

The day concluded with a call to action: to continue pushing for policies that make housing a fundamental human right rather than a commodity. The EL, alongside other political and social groups, has been instrumental in raising awareness and mobilizing citizens to demand concrete changes in housing policies across Europe. Their next major event will take place in Athens on 23rd May 2025, continuing the fight for affordable, dignified housing for all.

find the videos of the 2 round tables here (in French):

Here are a few links to our social media posts about the exploratory walk on Rue d’Aubagne and the stickers on the key boxes, for those who’d like to find out more

in the press:

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