No country for old women: Pressure builds on Spain’s Sánchez over eviction of elderly tenant – POLITICO

MADRID — Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez faces renewed pressure as housing protests in Madrid escalate and his left-wing allies demand tougher action, straining his coalition ahead of a key election year.

Wheelchair-bound pensioner Maricarmen Abascal, 87, was forcibly removed from her home after living there since 1956, after failing to meet the new rental demands set by the investment firm that bought her building. Thousands marched through the capital on Saturday, with some protestors then pitching tents in the historic Puerto del Sol square. By Monday, hundreds of tents had been erected.

“We live in a country full of Maricarmens, and we’re saying enough is enough,” said Valeria Racu, spokesperson for the Madrid Tenant Union, the group leading the encampment. During a speech to protesters on Sunday, thousands echoed a chant denouncing “inversores culpables, gobierno responsable,” meaning “guilty investors, responsible government”