Madrid. Out of outrage over the eviction of an 87-year-old and anger over the ever-increasing housing shortage in Spain, tens of thousands took to the streets in Madrid. The protest was under the motto “Ni una Maricarmen más” (“No more Maricarmen”) and was primarily directed against the forced eviction of Maricarmen Abascal, who was evicted from her apartment in the Spanish capital after 70 years.
The Ministry of the Interior spoke on Saturday of around 25,000 participants, the organizers from the tenants' association “Sindicato de Inquilinas” of 300,000. Hundreds of people stayed overnight in tents in the capital's central square, which always attracts many tourists. The demands range from better protection against evictions to legal measures against rising rents, against housing as an investment property and to strengthen tenants' rights.
The protests were triggered by the case of 87-year-old Maricarmen Abascal. She moved into the apartment in the Retiro district of Madrid with her parents in 1956 and later took over the rental agreement. After the building was sold to a real estate company, she was told to move out because her old rental agreement was no longer valid. The new owners won justice in court. After several failed attempts to evict her, she was finally removed from her apartment by police officers on Wednesday despite resistance from supporters and taken to a hospital.
“I didn't manage to defend my house, but I fought so that others learned to fight for theirs,” Maricarmen said in a message distributed through the tenants' association. In an interview with the TV station RTVE she said: “Please keep fighting.” The pensioner has limited mobility and has a disability level of 50 percent. Despite her situation, she said she wanted to continue fighting for the right to housing.
After the demonstration ended, participants set up a protest camp with dozens of tents on Puerta del Sol. "I see a very bleak future for all of us. It's all the better that we're all standing together here to ensure that each of us wants to have a home," a young demonstrator told RTVE.
The Puerta del Sol was already the central and symbolic location for the 15-M movement in 2011, a citizen protest for more political participation and direct democracy, social and economic justice, against corruption and austerity politics. The square was occupied with tents for weeks from May 15th and became a place for grassroots democratic self-organization. As a result, new parties emerged that replaced Spain's de facto two-party system consisting of the left-wing PSOE and the conservative People's Party PP. The new protest tents are also linked to these protests.
The demonstrators blame both the left-wing central government of Pedro Sánchez and conservative regional governments such as that of Isabel Díaz Ayuso in Madrid for the housing shortage. They are calling, among other things, for the automatic extension of rental agreements for an indefinite period of time, better protection against evictions, a freeze on rents and a reform of tenancy law that regulates temporary rental agreements and the rental of rooms more closely.
Senior politician from the left-wing Podemos party and MEP Irene Montero called for the expropriation of 650,000 apartments, which she said are owned by so-called “vulture funds”, in order to use them for social housing.
People of different generations took part in the march from Puerta del Sol to the Congress building. Whole families, young people and pensioners walked together through the center of the capital. There were larger rallies in eleven other Spanish cities at the same time. The first demonstrations have already taken place across the country in the past few days.
In the wake of the protests, the government is working on passing a new legislative decree on housing policy in the Council of Ministers on Tuesday. Among other things, measures against forced evictions are planned. The Real Decree-Law would have immediate legal force, but would then have to be approved by Parliament within 30 days. The government is currently still negotiating with several parties about the necessary majority.
