Madrid protests demand housing rights after 87-year-old's eviction
Tens of thousands of people demonstrated in Madrid for the right to housing and against forced evictions, following the eviction of an 87-year-old woman named Maricarmen from her home of 70 years. The protest drew an estimated 25,000 to 300,000 participants. Maricarmen was removed from her apartment in the Retiro district on Wednesday after the building was sold to a real estate company and her old lease was terminated. She was hospitalized afterward and has since urged others to continue fighting for housing rights despite her limited mobility and 50 percent disability rating. Demonstrators camped overnight on Puerta del Sol and blamed both the central and regional governments for the housing crisis. They demand indefinite lease extensions, eviction protections, and rent freezes, while some politicians call for expropriating properties from investment funds. The government plans to pass a new housing decree on Tuesday.