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Maricarren Abascal, the 87-year-old retired woman whose eviction in Madrid has made her a symbol of the recent mass protests over the housing crisis in Spain, died on Wednesday, October 7, as confirmed by the Inquillinas Union. Without wishing to do so, women had become the most recent face in the struggle for greater protection of tenants and for actions against property speculation.
The union confirms the arrest on 11 November with CGT, CO.BAS and Solidarity of the Workers. CC OO and UGT call in a statement for the mobilization of workers "for a decent housing"
As called for by the Inquillin Union and thousands of protesters, the organizations led by Unai Sordo and Pepe Álvarez will call for the arrest, which will take place shortly before the general elections.
The organization speaks about the electoral advancement and the Government's attempt to recover the housing decrees by another way after their defeat in Congress
Attributing a majority representation to the Inquillin Union can be seductive, but frustrating if we try to translate its visibility into votes
This is how the Inquillin Union activists prepare their disobedience actions to stop evictions, promote legislative changes in housing and create symbols like Pepi and Maricarsen
More than 50 protests were called on Saturday in Spain following Congress's rejection of the housing decrees. As the camp continues in Madrid, where between 70,000 and 500,000 people showed up in the streets, according to the authorities and the organizers. The Inquillin Union seeks to promote a general strike.
The organization that led the protest says that they will focus on the general strike, while the rest of the collectives consider expanding the camp if people continue to reach the square
The Madrid Puerta del Sol camp will continue after Congress rejected the two government-driven decrees to face the housing crisis on Friday, a spokesman for the Inquillinas Union announced. The Junts, PP and Vox parties had already anticipated that they would vote against the measures.
In what was described as a "second act" of the protest, the Student Union claimed on Thursday, October 1, 30 blocks on university campus, in addition to more than 100 schools affected by the demonstrations, which demand better working and infrastructure conditions. The authorities reported dozens of violent incidents around the protests and Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu convened a crisis meeting.
The eviction of a 87-year-old woman in Madrid revived the housing crisis in Spain. In recent years, purchase and rental prices have increased strongly, while social pressure for further action by the Government is growing. In Madrid, the Inquilinos Union has called for a great mobilization to demand solutions. In France 24 we spoke to Ramon Bultó, one of the organization's spokespersons, who described the housing situation in the country as "dramatic."
The spontaneous camp called by the Inquillin Union has taken strength on its first day standing with profiles of all ages that refuse to dismount their shops until "measures are taken to make cities no longer a zoo"
In her first message from the hospital she was moved to after being thrown out of the home she lived in for 71 years, the 87-year-old woman thanked the citizen's mobilizations for her support and promised to "continue fighting" for the right to housing in Spain. Under the slogan "Not one more Maricarren," the Inquilinas Union is preparing a major demonstration in Madrid on Saturday, September 26, as pressure grows for the government and the opposition to take new measures against the real estate speculators.
The company, the owner of the apartment from which Maricarsen was evicted, filed a complaint against the organization and its spokesman Valeria Racu for "injuries, slander and violation of the right to honour"
The neighbor of Retiro has rejected the free emergency square in a residence offered by the City of Madrid
The Inquillin Union lawyer is negotiating to try to stop the launch, scheduled for Wednesday
Inquillin Union activists will camp outside the house door in Retiro district to prevent the eviction of the woman who has been in the same house for 71 years
