A wreath of flowers, photographs of Maricarmen and thousands of people walking in silence through the streets of Madrid. The demonstration called this Thursday from the Puerta del Sol encampment to number 46 Alcalde Sainz de Baranda Street, where the 87-year-old woman who died on Wednesday lived, was more like a mass funeral procession than a conventional protest. At least at its head, where the representatives of the Tenants' Union advanced practically without saying a word, while at the back of the procession the usual chants and slogans of housing protests took place.
The march started after eight in the afternoon, coinciding with the end of the assemblies that are held daily in Puerta del Sol. The representatives of the Tenants' Union gathered around a wreath of flowers while a loud applause, lasting about a minute, served as a tribute to the deceased and the starting signal for the mobilization. Many of those leading the march held photographs of Maricarmen.
From that moment, the procession began to advance in an unusual silence in the demonstrations of recent weeks. There were hardly any flags, except for some of the Tenants' Union and the Second Republic. Among the attendees could also be seen people carrying large candles, similar to those used in religious ceremonies. A scene that contrasted with what was happening a few meters further back, where slogans such as "They are not deaths, they are murders", "Long live the struggle of the working class" or "Where is the progressive Government?" were heard. There were also shouts of "Ayuso, Almeida, go to hell" and banners with the slogan "Maricarmen lives, the fight continues."
They were, in a way, two different ways of participating in the same mobilization. A large popular procession at the head and a more conventional protest demonstration at the rear. The chants arose intermittently, but silence prevailed among those who led the way. So much so that, upon reaching Alcalde Sainz de Baranda Street, the members of the union who were leading the procession even shouted at the protesters who were walking behind to ask them to remain silent.
As he passed through Menéndez Pelayo Street, some neighbors also joined the tribute from the surrounding area. "Long live the fight of the Tenants' Union!" they shouted, receiving applause from the participants in response. There, next to the corner with Sainz de Baranda, the capital was once again plunged into silence. Thousands of people raised their mobile phones with their flashlights lit like candles.
The destination of the march was the building from which Maricarmen had been evicted on September 23, fourteen days before her death. Its launch triggered a wave of protests that began with a camp in front of its portal and ended up extending to Puerta del Sol. The mobilizations culminated on October 3 in massive demonstrations for the right to housing, in a context of social pressure that preceded the decision of the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, to advance the general elections to November 29. The death of the woman, who had remained hospitalized since the eviction, has now given way to tributes.
"The first thing we all felt was infinite sadness, infinite anger because we cannot forget that this death could have been avoided," said Valeria Racu, spokesperson for the Madrid Tenants' Union, hours before the march. "Many will say that Mari Carmen was old and had to die, but she didn't have to die like that," he added during an appearance before the media in which he blamed the housing model for her death.
The march is part of the tributes called by the housing movement, which has also called for a minute of silence this Friday, October 9, at twelve noon, in work and study centers throughout Spain. Meanwhile, the movement is preparing the general strike called for next November 11 after a demonstration that ended with shouts of "murderers, Urba Gestión" and the jingling of thousands of keys, which has become a hallmark of these mobilizations.
