Maricarmen: Eviction of an Elderly Woman Highlights Spain's Housing Shortage
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Dramatic eviction of 87-year-old woman highlights Spain's housing crisis
Image source: Getty Images
Image caption: Maricarmen had lived in the Madrid flat for seven decades.
By Guy Hedgecoe
Reporting from Madrid
Published 1 hour ago
The dramatic eviction of 87-year-old Maricarmen from her home in Madrid's Retiro area for 70 years has brought Spain's housing shortage into sharp focus.
Maricarmen, a tenant of the flat, was unable to pay the rent set by Urbagestión, an investment firm that bought the property in 2018. Her father had initially rented it in 1956, and despite a cap on rent during her parents' lifetime, Urbagestión cited a legal loophole to raise her rent from €500 to €2,650.
They later lowered the rent to €1,650 but Maricarmen, with a monthly pension of €1,350, could not afford it.
Three previous court-ordered evictions had been blocked, but on Wednesday, despite supporters camping outside and celebrities joining the cause, police removed her from her home.
In a video shared online, a tearful Maricarmen expressed gratitude for the support, describing the struggle as "cruel."
Background
The case gained media attention, with protesters chanting "Maricarmen stays" and activists blocking the building's entrance.
Beatriz Duro, Maricarmen's lawyer, criticized the police response: "There is a deployment as if this were a military operation," she said.
The UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights had previously urged a halt to the eviction and offered alternative accommodation. However, local authorities stated that Maricarmen declined their offer of placement in an elderly care home.