"Housing for all" Hundreds demonstrate in Zurich against luxury renovations

Gabriela Beck

30.5.2026

Rising rents, luxury renovations and layoffs are causing discontent in Zurich: several hundred people took to the streets on Saturday to demand affordable housing.

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  • Hundreds demonstrate in Zurich for affordable housing.
  • Participants criticized luxury renovations and mass layoffs.
  • The organizers called for measures to combat displacement and housing shortages.

Several hundred people took to the streets of Zurich on Saturday afternoon to protest against the tense housing situation. The authorized demonstration was held under the slogan "Housing for all!" and led from Hardplatz through several city districts to Kasernenwiese. Participants drew attention to the consequences of rising rents and the short supply of housing.

The organizers were particularly critical of so-called luxury renovations and mass terminations. In many neighborhoods, existing residential buildings are being demolished or extensively renovated, causing rents to rise significantly after re-letting. This makes it increasingly difficult for many tenants to find affordable housing in the city. The demonstrators warned of a creeping displacement of long-time residents from their neighborhoods.

On the website for the demonstration, the initiators justify their protest with an increasing commercialization of the housing market. Housing is increasingly becoming an object of profit and speculation, while affordable housing is disappearing. With the demonstration, they wanted to increase political pressure and draw attention to what they see as the precarious situation of many people looking for housing.