The spokesperson for Más Madrid in the City Council, Rita Maestre, has lashed out at the mayor, José Luis Martínez-Almeida, for describing the eviction of Maricarmen, the octogenarian neighbor from the Retiro district who had been living on Alcalde Sainz de Baranda street for seven decades, as a "drama."
"A drama is an illness. What happened this Thursday was an attack on the fundamental rights of people to continue living in their home," Maestre stated at a press conference held this Thursday at the Group Building.
The head of the opposition in Cibeles insisted that the eviction "has responsible parties" and pointed directly to the City Council and the Community of Madrid for not having stopped the procedure. "How many phones have Ayuso and Almeida picked up to halt the eviction?" she asked, before answering: "Not a single phone."
Maestre has demanded that what happened be "a turning point" in the housing policies of the capital. In her opinion, there is "an interest" in favoring real estate speculation in Madrid and she argued that, had the Housing Law been applied, Maricarmen's eviction would not have taken place, as the owners would not have been able to "multiply by five" the rent she was paying.
In the same vein, she has demanded that the Royal Decree on Housing and the "expropriation" of Maricarmen's apartment arrive at the Council of Ministers next Tuesday "come what may," "because houses must be for the people and it is the obligation of all governments to guarantee it."
Maricarmen, 87 years old, was evicted this Wednesday from the apartment in the Retiro district where she had lived for 70 years. A judicial commission executed the eviction on the fourth attempt, while hundreds of people gathered outside to show their support.
Regarding the eviction, Almeida stated on Wednesday that the City Council had previously made various housing alternatives available to Maricarmen and that it was in a position to offer her an immediate housing resource.
"From a human point of view, I believe that it is a very tough and very difficult situation that she is going through. From the point of view of the governments, what we have to do is, each in our area of competence, not to get out of the way but to try to alleviate a dramatic situation due to the age and physical condition of this lady," the mayor declared at that time.