Madrid’s working-class suffering as residents claim ‘Poor Lives Matter’

MADRID’S working-class suffering as residents claim ‘Poor Lives Matter’, but figures world wide show spikes in areas of poverty and overcrowding.

People in the queue to be tested for COVID-19 at the Buenos Aires health centre in south Madrid were met with a bleak but polite homemade sign.

“We’re doing all we can to look after you. Sorry for the disruption.”

The regional president, Isabel Díaz Ayuso, who questioned the wisdom of extending the  national lockdown back in May and claimed “people get run over every day but that doesn’t mean we ban cars” has since accused the central government of abandoning Madrid.

She was criticised earlier this week after claiming that the infection rate in the south of the city and the region was due “among other things, to the way of life of immigrants in Madrid and the population density in these districts and municipalities”.

Flora Espejo, a nurse at the Buenos Aires health centre, gave her opinion on the matter to a local TV station, “We’re doing what we can,”  but pointed out that the long line of people queueing up outside the clinic were bearing the brunt of things.

“We can’t look after them because of the way things are at the moment. Just take a look around. Who are the ones who work? The working class. Who are the ones who have to move about for work? The working class.

“Who doesn’t do tele-working? The working class. Who are the people living six to eight to a 45sq m flat? The working class…They’re the ones who are suffering. We’re swamped, but they’re the ones who are suffering the consequences of the regional government’s poor handling of all this.”

As residents take to the streets angered by what they feel is discrimination against the poor, the army is preparing to once again be deployed onto the streets to help maintain calm.

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