Tents, banners and assemblies for housing. The image of 15M has been resurrected this September 26, 2026 in Puerta del Sol with a new encampment in the center of Madrid that began to be orchestrated at the end of the massive demonstration that took over the capital this Saturday to protest against the eviction of Maricarmen and denounce the housing situation. 15 years after the 'indignants' did it, the Madrid Tenants' Union has returned to camp with the aim of this movement becoming a new turning point for the country. They thus demand that this Tuesday the Council of Ministers approve a new decree with measures aimed at alleviating the housing situation.
Among the wave of rage that shakes Madrid is, for example, Natalia, 24 years old, who has not hesitated to approach Sol. "I am here for the eviction of Maricarmen. It seems very unfair to me how that woman has been kicked out of her house after 70 years without stopping to pay at any time and secondly because we believe that this pressure is necessary for them to take the decree out of a drawer," she explains to 20minutos.
Natalia's case is also similar to that of Maricarmen, since she lives with her family in an old rented apartment in the Moratalaz neighborhood: "But even so, they don't stop raising the rent," says this young woman, who claims that she has been living there since she was three years old and that her family has faced constant increases in the rent they pay; the last one this year, about 200 euros. He therefore admits feeling afraid when he sees what has happened to Maricamen: "If they can do that with an 87-year-old person who has been paying religiously for 70 years, why wouldn't they do it with any of us."
In her case, Natalia acknowledges that she has joined the campers "to raise her voice" and that she has the support of her parents. "We wanted to contribute our grain of sand by staying too since there were enough of us and we had that possibility," he says along with his companions. "We have brought water and the Union has given us food," adds the young woman, who hopes to be able to stay in Sol as long as possible.
Another of those who reached Sol is David, 21 years old and who also belongs to the Tetuán Housing Union, an area where he lives for rent with his brother, he says, paying "a lot." "At the moment we can pay it, but who knows when it is renewed...", he describes. "What happens with Maricarmen is a daily reality that is seen in working-class neighborhoods; in the Union we see it every week... people from all types of situations who can no longer live in the neighborhood and who cannot afford housing because it is becoming a luxury good."
To go to Sol, both David and his companions have organized themselves by taking shifts, bringing breakfast and portable batteries. He assures that they have been cold during the night, but that they are going to continue camping: "In the end what we want to show is that, although now the Government tries to back down with a completely decaffeinated decree, we have to continue fighting and continue betting on unions and class organization."
In the same way as Natalia or David, María, 28 years old, has not hesitated to camp in Sol, outraged by what happened: "We are here to continue pointing out the real culprits. What happened last Wednesday with Maricarmen was atrocious, but this continues to happen every day in all the neighborhoods. There are still silent evictions, massive rent increases, the presence of paramilitary unemployment groups that all they do is harass our class and everything this backed by the most progressive Government in history".
In her case, María belongs to the Moratalaz Housing Union, a neighborhood where she has been renting for a few years and where she has also faced constant increases in the rent she pays to her landlords. "This is not an individual problem, but something that is happening to everyone. This parasitic system steals our salary in the form of income and our class continues to be condemned to misery," he says.
For all this, he assures that he will continue camping with his colleagues for as long as necessary: "What we are doing is calling into question the entire housing business. We do not want patches, a royal decree is not worth it because the only thing it does is put patches on a system that is collapsing under its own weight."
A reflection of Maricarmen
On the other side of the flooded square of tents is Clara, 26 years old, who shares a ground floor in the Arganzuela district with three other people for which they pay 1,000 euros. In his case, he says, his contract is for seven years, so he still has three more to finish. "At the moment, three of us can afford it, but the entire building belonged to a family and was inherited by a nephew who we know wants to raise the rent," describes this young woman, who assures that the expectations of both her and her roommates would be to be able to buy a house, but the market does not allow them.
Like many of the campers, Clara has seen herself reflected in the story of Maricarmen. "It's true that I don't see it as close to being kicked out of my house, but everyone is closer to being kicked out of our house than to owning a home." In her case, she is camping with three other friends and intends to stay until at least Tuesday: "We are going to organize a little among all of us so that this does not remain empty."
Also affected by the entire housing situation is Iván, 24 years old, a philosophy professor and who has lived in an apartment in Cuatro Caminos for a year and a half. He pays black 450 euros for a room, but after only a year they have already tried to raise the rent. "We don't know what position to take yet. They could probably kick us out of the apartment. The thing is that you never know when they are going to raise it or not, it is a constant uncertainty," he describes.
In her case, she says she was moved by "Maricarmen's voice before she was evicted." "I arrived there accidentally and when I heard his voice it was like that of a tragic hero who knows his destiny; because Maricarmen knew that they were going to evict her. Hearing that voice moved me deeply," he says.
Although they have not camped, there are many others who have come to Sol to also support the protest. This is the case of Miguel, 70 years old, who has decided to display a poster with slogans such as 'Vulture funds eat our neighborhoods' or 'Being homeless seriously affects your health.' Seeing the images from this Sunday reminds him of what happened 15 years ago, although he considers that the camp should have started earlier: "This fight should have happened much earlier, but it is welcome and of course it still has to grow." In his case, he is a pensioner and shares a flat with another person, but he assures that if he separated he would be left homeless. "We have to be aware of this. Politicians have to be aware. There are people who put their hands up, but housing does not have to be a business. You should not invest in housing, you should invest in companies, in developments, but today you buy a home and you simply have a speculative investment."
