Wereld · Housing and evictionsMaricarmen Never Returned Home. Spain’s Housing Strike Call ContinuesGeschreven 14 oktober 2026 om 18:34 UTCKijkenTranscript0:07On October 8th, we reported Mara Carmen's death.0:10Now unions are pursuing a nationwide strike.0:12The November 11th call was already announced then.0:16The latest development is that UGT was still pressing ahead on October 13th.0:20Thousands have marched in her memory and politicians have fought over whether to0:23honor her with a minute's silence.0:25Other vulnerable renters still face a practical question.0:28What protection can reach them before they lose their homes?0:31Thousands walked from Puerto del Sol to Mara Carmen's former home on October 8th.0:36The march began at the protest camp and ended in Madrid's Ibiza neighborhood in0:40Rotiro.0:40Mourners installed an improvised altar outside the building.0:44The memorial crowd was estimated at about 20,000, although there's no confirmed0:48count.0:49The tenants' union had announced an 8 o'clock evening start.0:52The march followed candlelit vigils the previous night in Puerto del Sol and outside0:56her former home.0:57A separate estimate put demonstrations across Spain at about 20,000 after her death.1:02Their dates and overlap with the Madrid march aren't clear, so those figures can't1:06be added.1:06Earlier crowds of tens of thousands belonged to the preceding weekend's protests.1:10Protesters also stayed in tents at Puerta del Sol.1:13Hundreds were described camping there in the earlier demonstrations.1:16Her death brought fresh mourning to a place already occupied by people demanding1:20affordable housing and stronger protection against eviction.1:23Police and judicial officials carried Maria del Carmen Abascal out of her home on a1:27stretcher on September 23.1:29She was 87 and known as Mara Carmen.1:31Police cordoned off the street and removed protesters.1:34She'd resisted three earlier eviction attempts and had a connection to the home1:38stretching back about seven decades.1:40Mara Carmen died at Gregorio Marinon Hospital on October 7th.1:44She'd been hospitalized after the eviction because of her fragile health.1:48Her lawyer, Beatriz Durow, confirmed her death without giving a cause.1:52Campaigners blamed the ordeal, but no medical explanation has been disclosed.1:56Mara Carmen was evicted on September 23rd.1:59Public pressure helped secure a return arrangement on September 29th.2:03It reportedly offered eight years, with rent no higher than 30% of her income.2:08She died on October 7th before she could return.2:10Her return depended on leaving hospital, and she was never discharged.2:14The Madrid Tenants' Union said the arrangement came too late.2:17Whether a final lease was signed, and what the rent would have been in Euros, still2:21isn't clear.2:22Marikarman couldn't afford the steep increase associated with the company that2:26bought her flat.2:27The proposed rise was reportedly 230%.2:30Earlier tenant accounts described 275%.2:33Those figures haven't been reconciled with the rent amounts carried in earlier2:37coverage.2:37One earlier account put the monthly rent at 500 Euros, rising to 2,650.2:43The owner, Herbogestion, reportedly denied demanding 2,650 Euros.2:48Those amounts would mean a 430% increase, with the final rent 5.3 times the starting2:54amount.2:55A later 1,650 Euro offer was described as 300 Euros above her pension.3:00That implies a 1,350 Euro pension, while another account put it near 1,000.3:06Her actual pension hasn't been confirmed.3:08The rent dispute remains unresolved, even though the human outcome is clear.3:11Three institutions refused official minutes of silence on October 8th.3:15At Madrid's Regional Assembly, the People's Party blocked a proposal from the3:18Socialists and MAS Madrid.3:20Those opposition groups held their own silence outside before the session.3:24The Senate also refused an institutional tribute.3:26Opposition members honored Mara Carmen outside Madrid's City Hall after the3:30municipal government declined an official commemoration.3:33The Socialists and MAS Madrid held a silence outside Cibelais.3:36PP and Vox didn't join.3:38Opposition members also remembered her in their speeches inside.3:41The separate tribute went ahead, despite the refusal of an official one.3:45It doesn't settle the competing descriptions of whether opposition members3:49overturned an attempted block inside the council chamber.3:52PP leader Alberto Núñez Fejo accused Pedro Sanchez's government of manipulating3:57public emotion and held Sanchez responsible for the eviction.4:00The PP argued that political opponents were exploiting Mara Carmen's death.4:03Fejo made the accusation on October 8th.4:06Far-right figures also cast doubt on the account of her death without supplying4:09medical evidence.4:10Vox claimed she would have had a home if she'd been a migrant from North Africa.4:14It offered no evidence for that claim.4:16Sanchez offered condolences on October 7th, as did Housing Minister Isabel Rodriguez4:21and Feijo.4:22Sanchez has made tenant protection central to his campaign.4:25Opponents criticize his eight years in office, while he says regional authorities4:29obstructed his housing measures.4:30Ombudsman Ángel Gabalando called for cooperation to prevent vulnerable people's4:35evictions and provide enough social housing.4:37On October 14th, Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares linked the election to the4:41housing decree defeat and argued that social and fundamental rights were at stake.4:46Albarez framed the contest as a choice between a progressive government and a4:50reactionary coalition.4:51That's his political assessment of the election's stakes.4:54Sanchez announced the election on October 5th, two days before Mara Carmen died.4:59An earlier date of October 7th was wrong.5:01The scheduled polling day remains November 29th.5:04The announcement followed Parliament's rejection of the government's emergency5:08housing decrees.5:09Congress rejected the first decree by 178 votes to 172 and the second5:15by 184 to 166.5:18Opposition votes included the PP, Vox, and Juntz.5:21The housing protests formed part of the political pressure surrounding those5:24defeats.5:25The cabinet approved 21 replacement housing measures on October 6th, and both5:29replacement decrees were published on October 7th.5:32One concerns stability of rental contracts.5:34The other concerns housing social function and affordable supply.5:37Their precise protection for individual tenants remains unclear.5:41We still don't know whether Parliament's standing body, which operates after5:44dissolution, has validated the replacements' reported start dates are October 8th5:48for broader provisions and November 15th for lease stability, but eligibility and5:52exceptions remain unclear.5:54There's also no confirmed agenda placing a housing vote at the possible October 16th5:58sitting.5:59New renters faced larger increases than existing tenants in the National Rental6:02Price Index.6:03In 2023, Rents rose 2.6% overall.6:07New contracts rose 4.1%, while existing contracts rose 2.4%.6:12New contract rent growth reached 8.8% in 2024.6:16The overall increase was 3.5%, and existing contracts rose 2.8%.6:22These are historical annual figures for Spain, and they don't measure Madrid's rents6:25today.6:26Rent payment data show another gap.6:28Increases generally stayed below 3% when the tenant and landlord didn't change.6:33New contract growth exceeded 10% year-on-year at the end of 2025.6:37That's a separate measure based on direct debit payments.6:39Those figures show why one sweeping rent claim can mislead.6:43They don't support saying every tenant's rent doubled over a decade.6:47Asking prices, signed contracts, and actual payments describe different parts of the6:51housing market.6:52UGT and CCOO agreed to a nationwide 24-hour strike on October 5th before Merrick6:58Carmen's death.6:59Their joint notice fixed November 11th two days later.7:02They want decent wages that make decent housing affordable.7:05Alongside action against prices eroding purchasing power, UGT leader Pepe Alvarez7:10was still defending the November 11 action on October 13th.7:14He called for better wages, solutions to the housing crisis, and progress in7:18collective bargaining.7:19The initial agreement required union ratification, whose formal votes haven't been7:22confirmed.7:23Mara Carmen never regained her home.7:25For other vulnerable tenants, Cabinet approval and publication have happened, but7:29the replacement's enforceable reach and parliamentary status remain unclear.7:33The nationwide strike is called for November 11th, followed by the general election7:37on November 29th.Lees het artikelTijdlijn van het verhaalHeyDexDe korte video ↗Wie meldde watPunten die meer dan één medium meldde✓Parliament’s rejection of housing measuresOnafhankelijk bevestigd · 12 media✓Sánchez’s snap election dateOnafhankelijk bevestigd · 11 media✓Abascal’s eviction and its role in protestsOnafhankelijk bevestigd · 8 media✓Polls and prospects for a PP–Vox governmentOnafhankelijk bevestigd · 7 media✓Sánchez’s announcement of an early electionOnafhankelijk bevestigd · 6 mediaSánchez’s electoral hopes for housing policy6 mediaAbascal’s removal from her home5 mediaCoalition’s loss of its parliamentary majority5 mediaAbascal’s death4 mediaCabinet meeting to dissolve Parliament4 media✓Scale of Madrid housing protestsOnafhankelijk bevestigd · 3 mediaPoll forecast for a PP–Vox coalition3 mediaMigration into Spain’s North African territory3 mediaAgreement for Abascal to return home3 mediaElke regel is de bewering zoals wij die uit het bericht van dat medium hebben vastgelegd. Vergeleken per 14 oktober 2026 om 17:37 UTC.
