A gathering called by the Tenants' Union brought together thousands of people outside the attic on General Martínez Campos street, acquired by the public company Planifica Madrid. The Government Delegation estimates attendance at 10,000 people.
Thousands of people gathered on Wednesday afternoon outside 35 General Martínez Campos street, in the Chamberí district, to protest the eviction of Maricarmen, an 87-year-old resident who had to leave the home she lived in for 71 years. The call, as reported by Noticias para Municipios, was organised by the Tenants' Union, which claims attendance in the thousands, while the Government Delegation estimates it at 10,000.
The protest was directed against the 485 square metre attic located in that building, acquired by the public company Planifica Madrid. Attendees began arriving before 7:00 PM at the corner of Zurbano and General Martínez Campos. The gathering ended up blocking both streets until their end, towards Castellana, and caused traffic congestion in the surrounding areas up to Eloy Gonzalo and the Quevedo roundabout.
Traffic remained open on those roads until shortly before eight in the evening, when cars caught in the protest were trapped among the demonstrators, monitored by several police officers who were overseeing the gathering.
One eviction, another occupation", "We are going to occupy Ayuso's attic" and "Shame
Among those chants, attendees targeted the Housing Law, the regional government of Isabel Díaz Ayuso, and the city council of José Luis Martínez-Almeida. There were also slogans against the central government, and at various moments, the crowd raised the keys to their homes as a gesture of reclamation.
At around 8:00 PM, the spokesperson for Más Madrid in the regional Assembly, Manuela Bergerot, arrived, crossing through the gathering accompanied by her entourage, along with the Más Madrid congresswoman Tesh Sidi. Among the attendees were actress Ana Castillo and other figures from the cultural world.
The spokesperson for the Tenants' Union explained in the morning that the organisation primarily holds Ayuso responsible for what happened, but also pointed to the central government and asked where Pedro Sánchez and the Minister of Housing, Isabel Rodríguez, were.
The organisation also called for protests that afternoon in eleven other Spanish cities, including Barcelona, Valencia, Sevilla, and Málaga, although the one in Madrid was the largest. Its demonstrators moved towards the Paseo de la Castellana after two hours of protests.
While the gatherings were taking place, the Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, urged parties to support the housing decree in a statement prior to his speech at the United Nations.
The eviction of Maricarmen is a tragedy that we cannot accept
The outrage caused by the case has accelerated timelines in the Executive, which intends to approve the text at the next Council of Ministers, with prior agreement from Sumar, its coalition partner. Negotiations with the rest of the parliamentary groups are still ongoing, and the decree is not yet finalised.
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