María del Carmen lived in the same apartment in Madrid for 71 years. However, her life took a tragic turn when the company Urbagestión raised her rent by a crushing 430%, making it an unaffordable 1.877 dollars, while her monthly pension barely reached 1.535 dollars.
After eight years of legal resistance, the Supreme Court ruled against her in March 2026, paving the way for the inevitable outcome. On September 23, the police carried out the eviction in dramatic fashion: María del Carmen was carried from her home on a stretcher to be taken away in an ambulance. Outrage on the street was absolute.
While the City Council claimed to have offered her alternative housing options that she rejected, nearly 10.000 people gathered at night to protest against real estate abuse amid a deafening cry: “Maricarmen, you are not alone!”.