Maricarmen: Eviction of woman aged 87 highlights Spains housing shortage

The dramatic eviction of an 87-year-old woman from the home in Madrid where she lived for seven decades has drawn attention to the depth of Spain’s housing crisis.

The tenant of the flat in the Retiro area of central Madrid, Maricarmen, was unable to pay the rent set by the investment firm that owns it.

Maricarmen’s father first rented the property in 1956 and she continued as the tenant after her parents died, during which time there was a cap on the rent.

However, the company that bought the property in 2018, Urbagestión, cited a legal glitch allowing it to raise her rent from €500 (£428; $572) to €2,650.

It subsequently lowered the new rent to €1,650 but Maricarmen was still unable to pay it with her monthly pension of €1,350.

Three previous attempts to evict her were blocked by the courts and the case has received increasing media attention.

Supporters of Maricarmen camped outside the building on Tuesday night, joined by celebrities including Javier Bardem’s brother, Carlos, and the singer Ana Belén, who read out the poem Desahucio (Eviction) by Rafael Alberti.

Several hundred people, mostly youngsters, had gathered by the morning in a bid to prevent the eviction from taking place, chanting “Maricarmen stays”. Some activists blocked the stairs inside the building.

In a video posted on social media, a tearful Maricarmen thanked those who had come out to support her against “this cruel struggle by someone who wants to earn money”.