About 150 tents stood in Madrid’s Puerta del Sol on Sunday after a housing protest sparked by the eviction of 87-year-old Maricarmen Abascal. The Tenants’ Union is pressing the government to approve a Tuesday decree that would include a rent freeze.
Abascal was forced to leave her rented flat in Madrid’s Retiro district last Wednesday after living there for 70 years. The protest call extended to 40 cities under the slogan “Not one more Maricarmen.” Estimates for Saturday’s Madrid demonstration differed sharply: the Government Delegation put attendance at around 25,000, while the union said as many as 300,000 took part.
The union’s spokesperson Gonzalo Álvarez said the campaign seeks structural change so housing is treated as a basic need, not a financial asset. He warned that the government’s left-wing partners, including Sumar, should consider withdrawing support if the decree is not approved. Podemos MEP Irene Montero opposed negotiating the decree with Junts and called for 650,000 homes owned by vulture funds to be expropriated for social rentals; Podemos secretary-general Ione Belarra said continued street pressure would still be needed.
