Overview
- Police forcibly removed 87‑year‑old María del Carmen from her Retiro flat, an eviction captured on video that led tens of thousands to rally under the slogan “Ni una Maricarmen más.”
- Protesters set up a multi‑night camp at Puerta del Sol and the tenants’ union organized nationwide demonstrations demanding stronger rent controls and limits on evictions.
- Maricarmen’s lawyer said an agreement was reached with the owners that would let her return under a reported eight‑year lease and a rent capped at about 30 percent of her net income, pending her signature and hospital release.
- Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s cabinet moved to adopt a housing reform package by decree in response to public pressure, but the measures must still win a divided parliament where coalition partners disagree on scope.
- Longer‑term drivers cited in coverage include a near doubling of average rents in a decade, a Bank of Spain estimate of a 700,000‑plus housing shortfall, and weak long‑term tenant protections that leave many renters vulnerable to investor‑led price rises.