The PSOE spokesperson in Madrid, Mar Espinar, condemns Ayuso for "spending millions on a huge penthouse" after "snubbing" the rectors of public universities

The absence of Isabel Díaz Ayuso at the opening of the academic year of Madrid's public universities at the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid has caused a new political confrontation this Thursday. The president had planned to attend the event, but was finally replaced by the Minister of Education, Mercedes Zarzalejo, on a day marked by the protest called by students, professors, and campus workers.

The PSOE spokesperson in the Madrid Assembly, Mar Espinar, took advantage of the president's absence to accuse her of having "stood up" the rectors with the aim of "not listening to the students." Espinar thus questioned why Ayuso did not attend an event that brings together the heads of Madrid's public universities and assured that the president "can no longer even set foot on the street."

The socialist leader also linked the protest to the demands of the university community, which calls for "an increase in funding" and denounces "the deterioration of facilities." In this context, she stated that "people in Madrid no longer understand that millions can be spent on a huge penthouse and not invested in the university," in reference to the controversy over the Chamberí penthouse.

Ayuso, for her part, questioned that the mobilization was presented as a student protest. The Madrid president focused on the composition of the concentration and pointed out that at the gates of the UAM there were "gentlemen with gray hair and big bellies." "These gentlemen with gray hair and big bellies who yesterday called to try to go against an opening ceremony of the school year in universities and they still tell us they were the students, but what nerve they have, really," she responded.

The protest gathered more than a hundred students and professors, who demanded more funding for public universities and denounced the deterioration of facilities, coinciding with the opening ceremony of the 2026-2027 academic year. The Community of Madrid has defended that Ayuso's absence was due to "exclusive agenda reasons" and has reiterated its "commitment" to universities.

Ayuso accepts the rejection of the students of the Autonomous University of Madrid

Isabel Díaz Ayuso finally did not attend this Wednesday the official inauguration of the academic year at the Autonomous University of Madrid (UAM), where her presence was expected and where students and workers had called a protest against her Government's educational policies. Instead, the representation of the Community of Madrid fell to the Minister of Education, Mercedes Zarzalejo, who attended the event amidst the mobilizations called on campus.

The absence of the Madrid president comes after trade union organizations and members of the university community announced a concentration in the Plaza Mayor of the UAM under the slogan "Let's defend public university! Díaz Ayuso, you are not welcome!" CGT Enseñanza UAM, UGT Servicios Públicos Madrid and CCOO de la UAM supported the call, which aimed to focus on the situation of Madrid's public universities.

In the statement released on the occasion of the protest, students and workers of the Autónoma argued that public universities have been suffering from underfunding for years and denounced that current conditions favor greater dependence on private funding. In their writing, they demanded that "public university is not for sale" and linked their university demands with the mobilizations affecting the rest of the educational stages.

The organizers also criticized what they describe as a "worrying climate of control and restriction" on campuses. According to the statement, "the university, which should be a space for freedom, debate, and critical thinking, is becoming day by day a place where academic and associative activity is monitored and limited."

The protest also aimed to highlight the demands of other educational groups in Madrid. The statement recalls the strike maintained by workers in the 0 to 3 years stage and anticipates the strike call by Primary and Secondary workers starting on October 14. "The defense of public education is a single struggle, from early childhood to university," they maintain.