A Coruña residents have taken to the streets after Maricarmen was removed from her Madrid home. The case is putting pressure on the Government to strengthen housing protection.
On Wednesday, court enforcement officers removed Maricarmen from the Madrid property where she had lived for 70 years. Police were present as people gathered outside to protest.
Hundreds of people later gathered in A Coruña. The protest brought the housing crisis to the Delegation of the Government in Galicia. The message was direct: vulnerable people must not be forced out of their homes.
The demonstration took place in Ourense Square late on Thursday. Residents carried banners calling for decent housing and repeated the slogan «ni gente sin casa, ni casa sin gente».
The case spread fast. Similar protests have appeared in other parts of Spain after images of Maricarmen leaving her house caused public anger.
According to reports cited by Demócrata, the monthly rent had previously been about €500 but rose to €1,650 after the property was bought by an investment fund.
Maricarmen's eviction has turned the loss of one elderly woman's home into a political test.
She had occupied the property continuously for the previous seven decades. Court enforcement officers carried out the operation with police present, while protesters gathered outside. The case has drawn strong public attention because Maricarmen, who is 87, was left without the house that had been her home for most of her life.
Reuters, the BBC, DW, Euronews and AFP have presented the episode as part of Spain's wider shortage of affordable housing. Their coverage has also linked it to growing pressure on older and vulnerable tenants.
In Madrid, the political argument is now moving to the Government. Sumar has asked the PSOE to place the expropriation of Maricarmen's flat on the agenda of next Tuesday's Council of Ministers. The party has also called for urgent approval of the real decreto ley de vivienda.
The eviction attempt had already been postponed several times. Euronews described the operation as the fourth attempt, while BBC Mundo reported three previous postponements.
The facts remain unsettled. Sumar's demand is a proposal, not an enacted measure, and the available information does not say that the expropriation has been approved. Campaigners are calling for immediate action. Decisions inside the Government are still pending.
Neighbours, relatives and housing activists had tried to stop the eviction. They published appeals and videos that helped make the case viral. Reuters and The Guardian reported that mobilisation continued around the property despite the court-backed operation.
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez called the episode a «social tragedy». He said parliament shared the task of adopting legislation to prevent similar evictions.
Sánchez pointed to Madrid's city and regional authorities when discussing responsibility. The Government Delegation distanced itself from the operation and said police had acted under a court order.
The Madrid case has already received coverage in national and international media.
