Thousands of people protest in front of Ayuso's penthouse after Maricarmen's eviction: "Madrid is not for sale"

Thousands of people gathered this Wednesday in front of the controversial penthouse bought by the Government of Isabel Díaz Ayuso in Chamberí to protest the eviction of Maricarmen. The mobilization grew rapidly from seven in the evening and forced the closure of Paseo del General Martínez Campos due to the constant arrival of demonstrators.

"Ayuso's penthouse for Maricarmen", "Madrid is not for sale, Madrid is defended", "out vulture funds" and "Ayuso resignation" are some of the most repeated slogans. Numerous attendees, mostly young people, raised their keys as a symbol of the fight for decent housing while the deployed agents tried to organize traffic in the surroundings.

The protest is held in front of number 35 of Paseo del General Martínez Campos, where the 485-square-meter penthouse acquired by Planifica Madrid, a public company of the Community, for 6.3 million euros is located. The regional Executive initially justified the operation as a possible temporary office for the president during the works of Puerta del Sol, although the file ended up recognizing its possible use as accommodation for authorities. The recent auction of the property was deserted.

The mobilization comes a few hours after Maricarmen was expelled from the Retiro home where she had resided since 1956. The woman, 87 years old and with a recognized disability of 50%, was taken out on a stretcher and transferred to Gregorio Marañón Hospital after a police operation that included charges, pushes and more than a dozen vans.

The chosen location directly challenges Ayuso's housing policy. The regional president of Madrid inaugurated the international real estate fair 'The District' on Tuesday, the scene of a protest against speculation, and defended that people come to Madrid "to be owners, to be entrepreneurs, to be investors." A day later, a neighbor who paid about 500 euros in rent has lost the house where she had lived for seven decades, while the penthouse bought with public money remains without a buyer.

The Tenants' Union accuses the regional Executive of governing "by and for vulture funds" and of approving policies aimed at protecting the interests of large landlords and real estate companies. Its spokesperson, Alicia del Río, has primarily blamed Ayuso for the eviction and has demanded that public money be used to guarantee access to housing. "Ayuso's penthouse is for Maricarmen," she defended.

The organizers also pointed to Pedro Sánchez's Government, the Minister of Housing, Isabel Rodríguez, and the Government Delegation for not having prevented the eviction and for the National Police operation. Among the attendees, the cry "guilty landlords, responsible Government" was repeated, while a demonstrator interviewed by 'Malas Lenguas' summarized the shared reproach among administrations: "Here, everyone who is allowing this situation is guilty."

The protest in Madrid is part of a broader mobilization. Tenants' unions have called for concentrations in ten other cities, including Barcelona, Valencia, Cádiz, Oviedo, Palma, Málaga, and Seville, to denounce the eviction and demand the recovery of measures that prevented vulnerable people from being expelled from their homes without a housing alternative.

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