De Telegraaf says 30,000 marched on Saturday, Der Freitag says tens of thousands on Sunday — and PP and Vox blame different culprits
Maricarmen Abascal, 87, was evicted from the Madrid flat she had lived in for 70 years. A camp in the Puerta del Sol followed. The reports we hold disagree on the size of the march, its day and the rent rise, and Spain's opposition parties blame different people for the crisis.
The march. Two reports give a size, and they disagree on the day. Neither says who counted.
| Outlet | Day | Size |
|---|---|---|
| De Telegraaf | Saturday | "zo'n 30.000" |
| Der Freitag | Sunday | "zehntausende", no number |
The eviction. De Telegraaf and two Der Freitag reports agree she is 87 and had lived there about 70 years. Der Freitag names who acted: an investor bought the building, and police "brachen ihre Tür auf". De Telegraaf names no actor. She "werd gezet" from her home.
The rent. Only Der Freitag gives figures: 440 euros raised to 1,650. That is nearly four times as much. In a second report the same paper calls it "das Dreifache", three times as much.
The blame. El Mundo carries three accounts:
| Who | Blames |
|---|---|
| PP (Feijóo) | Sánchez's government |
| Vox | "la llegada de extranjeros"; asks for "remigración" |
| Sindicato de Inquilinas | calls building and landlord tax breaks "engañifas" |
taz reports that the camp is putting pressure on Sánchez's minority government.
Not settled. Whether the march was on Saturday or Sunday, and how many people marched. What the rent really rose to. What the "Dekret Maricarmen" in the taz headline would contain. We hold no reply from the government to the PP or to Vox.
What this is about. An eviction in Madrid has become a national argument over who is to blame for Spain's housing crisis.
How it got here. Rents in Spain's big cities have risen for years, and housing has become one of the country's main political issues. In 2023 Pedro Sánchez's government passed a national housing law. It lets regions cap rents in areas declared under pressure. Housing is largely run by the regions, and the Madrid region, governed by the PP, has refused to apply the caps. So the national and regional governments each point at the other. Then came Maricarmen Abascal. She is 87 and had lived in her flat for 70 years. Der Freitag reports that an investor bought the building and raised her rent, and that police broke down her door to evict her. Protesters then set up camp in the Puerta del Sol, Madrid's central square. It is the same square where the 15-M movement camped in 2011.
The actors. Sánchez, of the Socialist PSOE, has been prime minister since 2018 and leads a minority government. It needs votes from smaller parties to pass laws. The PP, led by Alberto Núñez Feijóo, is the largest opposition party. Vox is a national-right party that sits with Patriots for Europe in the European Parliament. The Sindicato de Inquilinas is a Madrid tenants' union and is behind many housing protests.
What is at stake. taz reports that the next general election is about a year away. If the camp holds, the government comes under pressure to act quickly, and taz's headline mentions a "Dekret Maricarmen". The opposition wants the crisis blamed on the government. The tenants want rules on rents, not more building.
Where it stands. De Telegraaf reports that the camp is in its third day and that hundreds of people are camping on the square.
The story so far
Earlier stories The AI Times filed on this thread.
What is being argued about
- Saturday or Sunday, and 30,000 or 'tens of thousands'
- Who evicted her: an investor and the police, or no actor named
- 440 to 1,650 euros: tripled or nearly fourfold
- Foreigners, Sánchez, or the market: three culprits
Claims and verdicts
Der Fall Maricarmen: Auch in Madrid verschärft sich die Wohnungsnot
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Read it at Der Freitag →
What we have measured
Accusation with no accuser an antisemitism charge is said to weigh on a coalition; who makes it is not named ×1Accusation without an accuser an antisemitism charge carried as a weight on the coalition, nobody named as making it ×1Actor named Names police and an investor as acting. ×1Actor named It names both actors, the investor and the police, in the active voice. It also states flatly that the rent was always paid. ×1
Outlet profile in The AI Times →
Der Fall Maricarmen: Auch in Madrid verschärft sich die Wohnungsnot
Open this report in The AI Times →
Read it at Der Freitag →
What we have measured
Accusation with no accuser an antisemitism charge is said to weigh on a coalition; who makes it is not named ×1Accusation without an accuser an antisemitism charge carried as a weight on the coalition, nobody named as making it ×1Actor named Names police and an investor as acting. ×1Actor named It names both actors, the investor and the police, in the active voice. It also states flatly that the rent was always paid. ×1
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D
Der Freitag
Spanien erschüttert: Warum wurde eine 87-Jährige nach 70 Jahren aus der Wohnung geworfen?
Open this report in The AI Times →
Read it at Der Freitag →
What we have measured
Accusation with no accuser an antisemitism charge is said to weigh on a coalition; who makes it is not named ×1Accusation without an accuser an antisemitism charge carried as a weight on the coalition, nobody named as making it ×1Actor named Names police and an investor as acting. ×1Actor named It names both actors, the investor and the police, in the active voice. It also states flatly that the rent was always paid. ×1
Outlet profile in The AI Times →
Der Fall Maricarmen: Auch in Madrid verschärft sich die Wohnungsnot
Open this report in The AI Times →
Read it at Der Freitag →
What we have measured
Accusation with no accuser an antisemitism charge is said to weigh on a coalition; who makes it is not named ×1Accusation without an accuser an antisemitism charge carried as a weight on the coalition, nobody named as making it ×1Actor named Names police and an investor as acting. ×1Actor named It names both actors, the investor and the police, in the active voice. It also states flatly that the rent was always paid. ×1
Outlet profile in The AI Times →
D
Der Freitag
Spanien erschüttert: Warum wurde eine 87-Jährige nach 70 Jahren aus der Wohnung geworfen?
Open this report in The AI Times →
Read it at Der Freitag →
What we have measured
Accusation with no accuser an antisemitism charge is said to weigh on a coalition; who makes it is not named ×1Accusation without an accuser an antisemitism charge carried as a weight on the coalition, nobody named as making it ×1Actor named Names police and an investor as acting. ×1Actor named It names both actors, the investor and the police, in the active voice. It also states flatly that the rent was always paid. ×1
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Who wrote it
El Mundo
El Mundo
El Mundo
Coverage, outlet by outlet
Mietenkampf in Spanien: „Dekret Maricarmen“ soll schnell kommen
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Read it at taz →
What we have measured
Actor named names both coalition parties as the sides of the conflict ×1Actor named Makes the Constitutional Court the actor that overturned the Supreme Court's argument. ×1With no actor named critics The pressure comes from 'the internet', with no critic named. ×1Asserted in the outlet's voice a motive assigned to an entire electorate, no source and no evidence ×1
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—
El Mundo
El Mundo
🇪🇸ES ·
newspaper · independent
El Mundo
El Mundo
🇪🇸ES ·
newspaper · independent
El Mundo
El Mundo
🇪🇸ES ·
newspaper · independent
Der Fall Maricarmen: Auch in Madrid verschärft sich die Wohnungsnot
Open this report in The AI Times →
Read it at Der Freitag →
What we have measured
Accusation with no accuser an antisemitism charge is said to weigh on a coalition; who makes it is not named ×1Accusation without an accuser an antisemitism charge carried as a weight on the coalition, nobody named as making it ×1Actor named Names police and an investor as acting. ×1Actor named It names both actors, the investor and the police, in the active voice. It also states flatly that the rent was always paid. ×1
Outlet profile in The AI Times →
—
Efimerida ton Syntakton
Efimerida ton Syntakton
🇬🇷GR ·
newspaper · independent
Spanien erschüttert: Warum wurde eine 87-Jährige nach 70 Jahren aus der Wohnung geworfen?
Open this report in The AI Times →
Read it at Der Freitag →
What we have measured
Accusation with no accuser an antisemitism charge is said to weigh on a coalition; who makes it is not named ×1Accusation without an accuser an antisemitism charge carried as a weight on the coalition, nobody named as making it ×1Actor named Names police and an investor as acting. ×1Actor named It names both actors, the investor and the police, in the active voice. It also states flatly that the rent was always paid. ×1
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—
Deník N
Deník N
🇨🇿CZ ·
newspaper · independent
What we have measured
Actor named The headline names speculators as the actors who evicted a grandmother, stated flat. ×1Asserted, and a government judged A wave of Russian state terrorism is stated as fact and Germany is rated on its response; the piece is labelled a comment ×1Asserted, not attributed Washington's refusal and its reasoning stated flat, with no source ×1Assessment stated flat Says in its own voice, with no source, that Russian air defence worked well. ×1
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Brussels Signal
Brussels Signal
🇧🇪BE ·
digital · independent
What we have measured
Asserted vs attributed cause and effect on services asserted in the reporter's voice, no figure attached ×1Asserted vs attributed States record diesel prices flat, with no source; another report says there is no shortage ×1Asserted vs attributed The figure of 72 is stated flat, with no named source or document. The report's own inference is 'significant infiltration'. ×1Asserted vs attributed record diesel prices stated flat, with no figure and no source ×1
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Dagens Nyheter
Dagens Nyheter
🇸🇪SE ·
newspaper · independent
What we have measured
Accused label flat accused is labelled far-right without attribution, and not named ×1Affected counted Only report to count the residents affected ×1Asserted or attributed the majority stated flat, with nobody credited for the count ×1Asserted or attributed the demand is written as the report's own flat sentence before it is attributed to anyone ×1
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Observador
Observador
🇵🇹PT ·
digital · independent
What we have measured
Accusation attributed The fuel retailers' charge is attributed, 'accuses'. No government response is carried. ×1Affected person unnamed the woman is not named, and no cause of the eviction is given ×1Analyst verdict as headline one commentator's judgement on European mood is the headline ×1Asserted or attributed the charge against two foreign states is carried as the prime minister's view, not the report's ×1
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Telex
Telex
🇭🇺HU ·
digital · independent
What we have measured
Actor framed as giving The headline makes the government the actor, and what it does is support drivers. ×1Actor named NATO is named as acting; it 'chased them off' ×1Adopted term Uses the government's own phrase 'targeted support' without quotation marks ×1Asserted vs attributed 'under cover of night' attributed to Mária Schmidt, with the ministry's 8pm set beside it ×1
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Welt
Welt
🇩🇪DE ·
newspaper · independent
What we have measured
Actor named The protests named as the cause of both the arrests and the injuries ×1Actor unnamed The party figure calling for a confidence vote is given only by title. ×1Age band without a share the winner's strength among the youngest voters is claimed with no percentage ×1Asserted flat The 'existential crisis' is stated as fact, not attributed to anyone. ×1
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Frankfurter Allgemeine
Frankfurter Allgemeine
🇩🇪DE ·
newspaper · independent
What we have measured
Actor label The Houthis are called a militia and are cast only as the threat ships need protecting from. ×1With no actor named critics 'After criticism', with no one named as the critic. ×1Anyone hurt counted gives an injury figure, attributed to the ministry, but does not say who was hurt or by whom ×1Asserted flat the report judges the offer vague in its own voice, unattributed ×1
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Rzeczpospolita
Rzeczpospolita
🇵🇱PL ·
newspaper · independent
What we have measured
Accountability The only report to say prosecutors are investigating ×1Asserted not attributed Hungary's need for more time is stated as fact, not as the government's claim ×1Claim asserted flat says EU law has never known such an offer, with no lawyer, official or text cited ×1Correction carried the correction is in the lede, attributed to Lithuania ×1
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Le Figaro
Le Figaro
🇫🇷FR ·
newspaper · independent
What we have measured
Asserted, not attributed the capture of the strait and a "lightning offensive" are stated flat, with no source and no date ×1Asserted vs attributed The mayor's account and his opponents' charge are both attributed. ×1Asserted vs attributed The capture of the strait is stated flat, as settled background to a different story, with no source and no date for the claim. ×1Attacker identified by nationality in the headline ×1
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Politico Europe
Politico Europe
🇧🇪BE ·
digital · independent
What we have measured
Actor named vaguely The opponents are 'other capitals', with no country named ×1With no actor named accusation The coup accusation is in the passive; the accuser is not named ×1Asserted vs attributed The contradiction is stated as fact by the report, sourced only to unspecified official notes ×1Asserted vs attributed the stall stated flat in the headline, with Athens named as the actor that rejected ×1
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HotNews.ro
HotNews.ro
🇷🇴RO ·
digital · independent
What we have measured
Accusation unanswered AUR's claim of a plan agreed between the president and PSD runs in the headline and lede. No reply from the president is carried. ×1Actor named Names the blocs that refuse any exemption ×1Anonymous sourcing The jamming device found in his car rests on unnamed judicial sources, relayed through a news agency. ×1Asserted not attributed the outcome is declared settled before voting opens ×1
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NOS
NOS
🇳🇱NL ·
public broadcaster · public-service
What we have measured
Actor label The backers are labelled politically; the opponents, all other major parties, get no label ×1Actor named Names the Supreme Court as the court that withdrew the warrant. ×1Actor named and attributed Construction workers are named as having damaged a cable by accident, and the report attributes this to the aviation regulator. ×1Actor named, in passive Israeli airstrikes are named as what destroyed the building, but the sentence puts the building first ×1
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Svenska Dagbladet
Svenska Dagbladet
🇸🇪SE ·
newspaper · independent
What we have measured
Attributed context The Iran link is hedged and credited to another newspaper ×1Hedged context Base's use for strikes on Iran is hedged and attributed to another paper ×1Hedged or flat a directional claim about the race stated flat, with no poll figure behind it ×1Loss stated flat, size not given a large loss asserted with no figure, and a coalition demand named in the same line ×1
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Gazeta Wyborcza
Gazeta Wyborcza
🇵🇱PL ·
newspaper · independent
What we have measured
Actor named Russia is named as acting against the bridge, in active voice ×1Asserted cause Voters' reason for backing the AfD is stated flat as a fact about the mainstream parties. ×1Asserted, not attributed the three-year gain is stated as what the deal would have secured, with no source ×1Asserted versus attributed the link between the pardons and the US talks is stated flat in the headline ×1
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ABC
ABC
🇪🇸ES ·
newspaper · independent
What we have measured
Figure chosen 80,000, stated flat and unsourced; every other report we hold says about 70,000 ×1Figure chosen 80,000 crossed, stated flat, no source for the number ×1How hard the claim is stated Calls it an invasion in the outlet's own voice, unattributed, inside a sentence about the judge. ×1Which figure is used same two days, no figure at all: thousands ×1
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Die Presse
Die Presse
🇦🇹AT ·
newspaper · independent
What we have measured
Who is named as acting Calls the party right and its people the far right in the outlet's own voice; three reports use only its name. ×1
Outlet profile in The AI Times →
Il Giornale
Il Giornale
🇮🇹IT ·
newspaper · independent
What we have measured
Outlet profile in The AI Times →
Euractiv
Euractiv
🇧🇪BE ·
digital · independent
What we have measured
Measure chosen the only report we hold that breaks the result down by voters' age ×1Measure chosen the only report we hold that publishes how the age groups split ×1Which figure is used about 80,000 stated flat and unsourced — an order of magnitude above every other figure we hold ×1Which figure is used Puts 80,000 across the border in two days with no source for the figure and nobody attributed for it. ×1
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Le Monde
Le Monde
🇫🇷FR ·
newspaper · independent
What we have measured
Anyone hurt named or counted the only death toll we hold; a round number, hedged, nobody named ×1Anyone hurt named or counted the only report we hold that gives a death toll; it counts, does not name ×1Who says the label flat in the headline, no source, no hedge ×1
Outlet profile in The AI Times →
El País
El País
🇪🇸ES ·
newspaper · independent
What we have measured
Figure chosen more than 70,000 crossed, the higher figure not mentioned ×1Word for the event invasion, in quote marks and put in a party leader's mouth ×1Word for the event, attributed same word, but in quotation marks and inside a politician's accusation ×1
Outlet profile in The AI Times →
la Repubblica
la Repubblica
🇮🇹IT ·
newspaper · independent
What we have measured
Outlet profile in The AI Times →
Süddeutsche Zeitung
Süddeutsche Zeitung
🇩🇪DE ·
newspaper · independent
What we have measured
Hedged or stated states flat that police do not know whether the person seen is the man they want ×1Suspect identified how age and home town only, and the sabotage is what police attribute, not what the report asserts ×1
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