Eviction of an elderly woman highlights Spain's housing crisis

The dramatic eviction of an 87-year-old woman from the house where she lived in Madrid for seven decades has highlighted the depth of Spain's housing crisis.

Maricarmen, who rents the apartment in the Retiro district of central Madrid, was unable to pay the rent set by the investment company that owns the apartment.

Maricarmen's father had first rented the property in 1956, and after his death she continued to pay rent and live in the apartment, during which time there was a maximum rent.

But in 2018, the company Orbachestion bought the property containing the apartment, and pointed out that there was a legal loophole that allowed it to raise its rent from 500 euros ($572) to 2,650 euros.

Although the company reduced the new rent to 1,650 euros, Maricarmen is still unable to pay it, as she receives a monthly pension that does not exceed 1,350 euros.

The courts stopped three previous attempts to evict her, and the case received increased media attention.

Supporters declared their solidarity with Maricarmen, setting up tents outside the building on Tuesday night, and were joined by celebrities including Javier Bardem's brother, Carlos, and singer Ana Belén, who read the poem "Desahocio" (Evacuation) by Rafael Alberti.

By Wednesday morning, hundreds of people, most of them young people, had gathered in front of the building in an attempt to prevent her from being evicted from her apartment, chanting “Maricarmen stays.” Some activists closed the stairs inside the building.

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Maricarmen came out crying in a video clip posted on social media, thanking everyone who came out to support her against “this cruel struggle with someone who wants to make money.”

Police cordoned off part of the street and removed people from the entrance to the building, including media reporters, and beat some demonstrators with batons.

A representative of the tenants' organization Cindicato de Encilinas shouted at the police over a loudspeaker: "Think for 10 seconds about Maricarmen, who could be your grandmother."

“There is an intense security deployment as if it were a military operation,” said Beatrice Duro, Maricarmen’s lawyer. “This is the fourth time they have tried to get her out of the house, but it is the first time they have arrived directly at the door of the property. It is completely disproportionate.”

In June, the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights called for a halt to Ms. Maricarmen's eviction and for her to be provided with affordable alternative housing. The local authorities responded by rejecting an offer to provide her with a place in a nursing home.

For its part, the central government in Madrid said that the company "Urbagestion" rejected its repeated attempts to negotiate the Maricarmen issue. The BBC tried to contact the company.

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The situation almost turned completely around in the last moments when an unknown person appeared and offered to rescue Maricarmen and pay most of her rent. However, the Orbachestion company rejected the offer, and the eviction was carried out.

Housing Minister Teresa Rodriguez described what was happening as a “very sad” day, and said that it was “a very dramatic day. It has become clear to see the effects of wild speculation, the unwillingness to control the market, and to roll out the red carpet in front of the speculators.”

Rising rental costs in recent years are due to a shortage of available housing, which has left millions of Spaniards struggling to find affordable homes.

In Madrid, rents have risen by more than 100 percent over the past decade, according to real estate website Idealista, with a 10 percent rise over the past year.