The president of the Community of Madrid claims that the eviction was carried out by the National Police under a court order and blames the central government for not changing the law in eight years.
The president of the Community of Madrid, Isabel Díaz Ayuso, has denied any responsibility of her government in the eviction of Maricarmen, the 87-year-old woman whose eviction has sparked protests in the capital. She made this statement during her speech before the Círculo de Empresarios de Madrid, where she attributed the action to the government of Pedro Sánchez, as reported by Noticias para Municipios.
Ayuso recalled that it was the National Police that executed the eviction in compliance with a court order and emphasised that "it is not our decision". In her view, what happened stems from laws that the central government and its partners have had eight years to modify without doing so.
To contextualise the case, the president placed Maricarmen's eviction among the approximately 25,500 that, she said, are executed each year in Spain. She asserted that Madrid is far from leading that statistic and pointed out that Catalonia accounts for one in five.
The popular leader has criticised the atmosphere generated around the case in the last two days, referring to it as a succession of "disturbances" and a "free bar of demagoguery". She also warned that protests have become more violent since early September and predicted that they will continue down that path.
We are seeing a free bar of demagoguery
Ayuso has directly accused Sánchez of encouraging the mobilisations against her and of provoking disturbances in the streets, which, she argued, fuels a "totalitarian climate of tension" that does not favour investment or convey security.
Her criticisms have extended to the central government's housing policy. She reproached the president for trying to resolve problems with populism that, without addressing the root, will hardly have a solution, and she slammed the housing law, which in her view is only causing prices to continue rising.
The statements come a day after one of the largest mobilisations of the week. On Wednesday, after the eviction was announced, about 10,000 people gathered in the Chamberí district, in front of the property acquired by the Community of Madrid, to demand "Ayuso's penthouse for Maricarmen".
This was not the first time in a few days that the president faced protests head-on. On Tuesday, during her visit to the inauguration of the real estate fair The District, a group of activists interrupted the event by throwing stink bombs and leaflets against the regional government and vulture funds.
Ayuso herself responded to the Chamberí gathering on Wednesday night, after leaving a gala organised in Brunete by the Fundación José Ramón de la Morena. There, she accused the Tenants' Union of harassing her, reminded them that she is a woman who has always lived in rented accommodation, and suggested that the group ask the Minister of Housing what she is doing for tenants.
Before the Madrid business leaders, the president concluded her speech by advocating for the rule of law, legal security, and law and order as principles that, she argued, guarantee the necessary balance for coexistence and prosperity.
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