Riot police clashed with demonstrators in Madrid on Wednesday as authorities evicted an 87-year-old disabled woman from her long-time apartment in the Retiro district. Hundreds of protesters, many of whom had camped overnight, tried to block a fourth attempt to carry out the eviction, but police used teargas and baton charges to clear a path for a judicial team that ultimately executed the order that morning.
Supporters included members of tenants’ unions from Madrid and Barcelona and several public figures, such as actor Carlos Bardem and singer-actress Ana Belén. Demonstrators gathered at the building’s entrance and occupied the stairwell to prevent access to the flat; neighbours handed out snacks and allowed protesters to use bathroom facilities while they maintained their vigil.
The tenant, identified only as Maricarmen, is approaching her 88th birthday and has lived in the flat for 71 years. In a video recorded by the local tenants’ union before the action, a tearful Maricarmen thanked those who had stayed overnight to defend her home and urged calm: “Please, keep going, but don’t hurt one another. This has to be peaceful.” She appealed to the conscience of those seeking to profit from the property, reminding them that they, too, have parents and could one day face a similar fate.
The dispute stems from a change in ownership and legal interpretation. The original tenancy agreement, signed in 1956, was in the name of Maricarmen’s father. When he died, the contract passed to his wife, and after her death in 2008 the flat was sublet to Maricarmen. The company that acquired the building, Urbagestión SL, contested the legality of that subletting. The case reached Spain’s Supreme Court, which ruled in the owner’s favour, determining the original contract no longer conferred tenancy rights to Maricarmen. Urbagestión SL declined to comment when approached.
After buying the building, the developer offered Maricarmen the chance to purchase her apartment for €247,000 — an amount far beyond the means of a pensioner living on a state pension of €1,350 a month. Her rent had been raised from €500 to €1,650, creating an unaffordable gap. A prominent writer volunteered to cover the €1,150 shortfall indefinitely, but that offer was not accepted by the owner. Maricarmen’s lawyer, Beatriz Duro, said the owner refused to negotiate and would not accept any proposed arrangements. Duro added that they had requested access to remove the tenant’s personal belongings.
At the scene, Aldo Reverte from the Confederation of Tenants’ Unions framed the case as symptomatic of a wider housing crisis: “Maricarmen’s case is just one more example of what happens when housing is put in the hands of landlords,” he said, praising the public outcry and the union’s mobilization as evidence that such evictions can be resisted politically, if not legally.
Protesters also invoked a recent political scandal involving the Madrid regional president, Isabel DÃaz Ayuso, chanting “Ayuso’s attic for Maricarmen” in reference to allegations that public funds were used to acquire a €6.3 million apartment for Ayuso’s temporary office. The slogan linked the eviction to broader concerns about political privilege and municipal priorities in a city where housing affordability has become a flashpoint.
Despite the protest and widespread attention, law enforcement prevailed and the eviction proceeded. The confrontation included multiple baton charges and volleys of teargas as police advanced to allow the judicial committee access to the building’s interior.
The eviction of an elderly, disabled resident has drawn attention to Spain’s ongoing housing tensions. So far this year, around 4,000 evictions have been carried out nationwide, underscoring the scale of the problem as rising rents, property speculation, and legal disputes over old tenancy arrangements collide with the needs of vulnerable tenants. Activists say cases like Maricarmen’s highlight the human cost of market-driven housing policies and call for stronger protections for long-term and elderly residents who may be left homeless by changes in ownership and shifts in legal interpretation.
As Maricarmen’s case demonstrates, the intersection of historical contracts, court rulings, and contemporary real estate pressures can produce stark outcomes: a lifelong resident forced from a home of seven decades, supported by neighbours and activists but ultimately unable to stave off an eviction backed by a legal ruling and enforced by police.
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