Around 150 tents filled the square on Sunday, with families of several generations joining the sit-in. Demonstrators say they will remain there until at least Tuesday, when the Spanish government is due to meet.
Banners across the square called for “Affordable housing”, “Right to Housing at a fair price” and “Not one more Maricarmen”, reflecting wider demands for rent freezes, stronger tenant protections and an end to evictions without alternative accommodation.
Maricarmen had lived in the same Madrid flat for around 70 years, after her father rented it in 1956. The Madrid Tenants’ Union says the property was later acquired by an investment fund, which increased her rent from €500 to €2,650 a month before reducing it to €1,650. Police eventually evicted her on Wednesday, after several attempts. She was taken to hospital after becoming exhausted during the operation.
Her eviction has become a symbol of Spain’s wider housing crisis. The Bank of Spain estimated a shortage of around 550,000 homes last year, while public subsidised rental housing represents less than 2% of the country’s housing stock, compared with an EU average of 8%.
Saturday’s march drew around 25,000 people according to authorities, while the Madrid Tenants’ Union put the turnout at more than 300,000.