Rita Maestre and Almeida clash in the Cibeles Plenary over evictions and the Maricarmen case: Maestre accuses the mayor of "Pinning a medal on himself after doing nothing"

The spokesperson for Más Madrid and head of the opposition in the Madrid City Council, Rita Maestre, on Monday criticized the mayor, José Luis Martínez-Almeida, to whom she attributed the political responsibility for evictions in the capital, in a debate focused on the situation of octogenarian Maricarmen Abascal and the housing crisis.

Maestre reproached Almeida for being “so proud” after the solution reached for the neighbor and argued that the mayor arrives “after doing nothing” only to then “take credit.” In her speech, she recalled that in June, July, and September of this year, the government team could have mediated to find a housing solution for Maricarmen, and questioned the presence of the Housing Delegate, Álvaro González, at the real estate fair The District while the elderly woman's eviction was taking place.

“The one who got Maricarmen to stay in her house is the Tenants' Union”

The spokesperson for Más Madrid emphasized that “the one who got Maricarmen to stay in her house is the Tenants' Union and the thousands of people who went to accompany her on the worst night of her life, where none of the gentlemen from the PP were present.” She also asked if “seven years of anguish, of a woman being carried out of her house on a stretcher, were necessary for you to lift a finger.”

In that vein, Rita Maestre asked the mayor what he plans to do “for the next Maricarmens, for Paquita, for María, for all the families who are currently suffering eviction threats,” and estimated that the PP voted against measures to solve the housing problem in the Plenary on “23 occasions.” Among them, she cited the freezing of rents, the closure of illegal tourist apartments, the anti-eviction moratorium, and that SOCIMIs pay the same taxes as a greengrocer.

Furthermore, Maestre also criticized “the bracelet patriots” who, in her opinion, kneel before any investor who buys blocks of housing, empties them of families, and dedicates them to tourism. “Where are those who prioritize the nation to defend Madrid families?” she asked, before summarizing that Almeida has worked “for the vultures” for the past seven years.

“Of the 57 elected officials here in this room, only one has the responsibility to govern Madrid, and that one is you, Mr. Almeida, and that is why every eviction in this city, every apartment that becomes a tourist apartment bears Almeida's signature. Every rent increase bears Almeida's signature,” said the opposition spokesperson, who concluded her speech by asking the mayor not to laugh “in the face of the city's greatest housing emergency.”

Almeida responds with a 15M leaflet and reproaches for her privileges

José Luis Martínez-Almeida replied by asking the leader of Más Madrid if she was happy that Maricarmen was returning home, and assured that she “had not said a single word.” The mayor defended that he was indeed happy that the neighbor “had trusted the Madrid City Council to return home,” and insisted that this is what truly bothers the opposition.

The mayor then directed his criticism at the left and asked them what they had done “for Maricarmen, for the more than 270,000 evictions that have occurred in Spain since Pedro Sánchez has been in power.” At that moment, he showed a leaflet of a younger Rita Maestre, linked to Juventud sin Futuro at the height of the 15M movement, to reproach her that “fifteen years later she does have a home, doubling the per capita income of that neighborhood.”

Almeida added that 16 years ago the councilwoman said “no job” and that she has been wanting to be paid by the Madrid City Council for 16 years, while reminding her of a previous statement in which she maintained that, if she accessed a public office, she would not earn more than three times the interprofessional minimum wage. “You owe the people of Madrid 700,000 euros,” the mayor calculated.

The mayor concluded his reply with a direct political accusation: “The only fear is losing your privileges.” “Do you really believe that those represented by 15M with this banner feel represented by you today?” launched José Luis Martínez-Almeida, in one of the most tense exchanges of the Cibeles Plenary focused on housing and evictions.