The eviction of 87‑year‑old Maricarmen Abascal has become a catalyst for a broader housing debate that now includes indigenous advocates calling for stewardship of the Earth and its people.
On 2 October, Spain’s Congress rejected two decree‑laws that could have halted mass evictions across the country. The bills, backed by the left‑wing Sumar coalition, were drafted in response to a surge of protests triggered by the eviction of Maricarmen from a centrally‑located apartment in Madrid after a sharp rent increase imposed by Urbagestión.
Hundreds of protesters filled the streets outside the Chamber, chanting “shame on you” and “your profits, our misery.” The rising tension echoed the stories of indigenous communities in Mexico, Bolivia, and beyond, who have long fought against forced displacement from ancestral lands.
The Tenants’ Union, "Sindicato de Inquilinas", which has coordinated the mobilisations from dowsing tents in Madrid’s plazas to marches in Barcelona, said it would "take the struggle into every neighbourhood, block and home where rents soar and evictions continue." This mission mirrors indigenous practices that link people, homes, and the land into a single living relationship.
While the left‑wing ministers warned that the decrees were "necessary" to restore humanity to the market, opposition parties—including the People’s Party (PP) and far‑right Vox—argued that such interventions would scare owners, reduce the housing supply, and drive prices even higher. Indigenous groups argue that scarcity is not solved by free‑market logic but by collective stewardship, as seen in traditional Pueblo hill‑plantation techniques that sustainably blend human use and environment.
The parliamentary defeat has heightened speculation that Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez will call a snap election, a move that could either pave the way for new policy or stall reforms. For indigenous activists, the parliamentary setback represents a cautionary tale: when governments overlook the rights of the most vulnerable, displacement follows.
Experts and activists now call for legislation grounded in the principles of communal ownership, regulated rent, and protected cultural heritage. These principles have guided indigenous stewardship for centuries and could offer solutions to the housing crisis that respect both people and the planet.
