At Puerta del Sol, Carlos Bardem urged people across Spain to rise up, saying the housing crisis has gone too far. “The more of us here, the harder it will be to evict people in the dead of night.”
Maricarmen’s eviction set off the protests. She is 87 and lost her home. Her story has become a flashpoint. Bardem says the problem has been ignored for too long. Reuters reported that Maricarmen had lived on Sainz de Baranda street since 1956. Social services took her out on a stretcher after several failed eviction attempts. The eviction was at least the fourth attempt, and police used force to disperse hundreds of activists gathered at the scene. Hundreds protested outside her door for days, but it was not enough. Bardem spoke live on laSexta Xplica. “This is just the beginning,” he warned. He believes Spain is close to a social explosion. “It was only a matter of time before people said enough.”
Now, hundreds have set up camp in central Madrid. Puerta del Sol has become a protest site against evictions, and Bardem’s visit gave the camp new energy. He linked Maricarmen’s case to others, including Paquita and Alejandro, who also face losing their homes. Bardem does not see these as one-off tragedies. He sees a bigger failure. “We are a failed society if we cannot protect our elderly, our women, our children, and our working class.”
He compared the current protest to the 15M movement and said the fight cannot stay in Madrid. “This reminds me so much of 15M,” he said. “We need to take to the streets and squares and say enough, this is unsustainable.”
The protest comes as anger grows across Spain. Thousands have joined marches in Madrid and other cities since Maricarmen’s eviction. The New York Times reports that housing is now a top political issue. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez called the crisis a "tragedy". He said Maricarmen’s case shows the wider struggle for affordable homes. Bardem says the pressure must not let up. He warns against a society “subjugated to the profit of a few, to a rentier, extractive economy that forces people to struggle just to rent a tiny room or a flat.”
After Maricarmen’s eviction, tenant unions and activists announced a new demonstration in Madrid for September 26, 2026, under the slogan 'Never another Maricarmen.' Organized by La Unión de Inquilinas, the event aims to pressure lawmakers to extend protections for vulnerable tenants, Democracy/Demócrata reported.
Bardem also pointed to two recent events: the controversy over Madrid regional leader Ayuso’s penthouse and Maricarmen’s eviction. “Two powerful symbols,” Bardem said, “the penthouse of the woman who governs Madrid, and the eviction of an 87-year-old woman.”
He ended with a nod to Federico García Lorca. “He asked for bread, but also for roses. We need a home where we can eat our bread, and a home where we can place our roses.”
This protest at Sol is not a one-off. It shows growing frustration with the system. Recent Spanish protests have seen similar energy. This time, the focus is clear: the right to housing. Protesters demand that Spain’s most vulnerable are not left behind for profit.
Spain’s housing crisis has reached a breaking point. Symbolic gestures are not enough. Bardem’s call is a warning. The country’s social contract is under pressure. If the government does not act to protect those at risk, the anger at Puerta del Sol could spread far beyond Madrid. The time for half-measures is over. Dignity and security in housing are now at the center of Spain’s public debate.
