Madrid eviction of 87-year-old woman sparks protest: 'It is not eviction, it is murder'

After 70 years living within the same four walls in Madrid's Retiro district, her time there is coming to an end. The police deployed in the area first cleared the people gathered outside the property and later removed residents who were trying to obstruct the eviction from inside the building.

The eviction had been scheduled for 7.30am but was eventually delayed by two hours. At noon, Maricarmen was still inside her home, although the eviction appeared imminent.

Maricarmen has lived in the property for seven decades. Her father signed the tenancy agreement in 1956. After his death, the tenancy passed first to his wife and later to Maricarmen on the same terms.

For almost 20 years, Maricarmen paid a rent that was updated annually in line with the CPI, along with other costs such as property tax. According to Europa Press, the agreement was one of the so-called "old-rent" contracts, under which tenants enjoyed long-standing rent protections.

However, eight years ago, the owners told Maricarmen that they had sold the entire building to Renta Corporación Real Estate, one of Spain's major property groups. In 2020, the company offered her the opportunity to buy her home for 247,000 euros. With a pension of 1,300 euros a month, she could not afford it.

The building was eventually acquired by investment fund Urbagestión Desarrollo e Inversiones SL, which increased her rent from the 500 euros she had been paying to 2,650 euros.

Maricarmen, who has a 50 per cent disability, tried to negotiate but managed to reduce the rent only to 1,650 euros, an increase of almost 250 per cent that she could not afford.

The case reached the United Nations in June this year, when the UN called for the eviction to be suspended. The eviction was only postponed, however. After years of legal proceedings, Spain's Supreme Court ruled in favour of the investor, and Wednesday's eviction attempt was the fourth Maricarmen had faced.

Tensions rose during Wednesday's operation. Around 300 people gathered outside the property, expressing their anger and desperation.

"This isn't an eviction, it's murder" and "Maricarmen, you're not alone" could be heard on Calle Alcalde Sainz de Baranda.

Protesters directed criticism at all sides, including the Madrid regional government: ("Ayuso's penthouse for Maricarmen"), the central government ("Where is the progressive government?") and the police ("Tell your children what you've done today").

Maricarmen's case has become a symbol of the struggle for access to housing in Madrid. On Tuesday, hundreds of people camped outside her home in support of their neighbour.

Actors Juan Diego Botto, Carlos Bardem and Sergio Peris-Mencheta, Sumar MP Enrique Santiago, broadcaster Inés Hernand and singer Ana Belén attended the protest. They recited a poem by Rafael Alberti and sang a version of Ana Belén's song La Puerta de Alcalá, changing the lyrics to sing: "Look at her, look at her, she'll stay."

The tenants' union also said that an anonymous donor had offered to cover the difference in Maricarmen's monthly rent so that she could remain in her home.

The tenants' union criticised Madrid city council, the regional government and the central government for failing to offer Maricarmen an alternative home. The only option so far has been a place in a private care home costing more than 1,200 euros a month, which she cannot afford.

The union also pointed out that the UN had called on the Spanish state to take measures to prevent the eviction. "Maricarmen is tired but still has the strength to carry on," the organisation said.

The Ministry of Housing has called on the city council and the regional government to intervene.

The ministry criticised the city council for failing to rule on Maricarmen's vulnerable status despite having had an application before it for months. It also criticised the regional government for failing to "offer alternative accommodation" or provide her with "an income supplement so that she can afford the rent".

City council sources, however, rejected the criticism and said its social services had been monitoring Maricarmen's situation continuously.

"The Housing Ministry is lying. Municipal social services issued the relevant vulnerability report in October 2025 at the court's request," the sources said.

They added that Maricarmen receives several forms of municipal social assistance, including home-help services. The city council also said it had offered her "different accommodation options", but that she had "expressly rejected" them when offered a place.

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