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On Saturday, Madrid witnessed a massive demonstration as thousands of individuals protested the country's housing crisis and called for protective measures for tenants. The rally demanded anti-fraud rules and a ban on evictions without providing alternative housing. The protest was sparked by the eviction of an 87-year-old woman, María del Carmen Abascal, from her apartment in Madrid's upscale Retiro neighborhood. Abascal had lived in the property for decades, inheriting it from her parents after their death.

The eviction, carried out under the new ownership of the building, caught Abascal off guard as she was removed from her home on a stretcher. Protests erupted as she was loaded into an ambulance, drawing attention to her plight and the broader housing issues facing Spain. Spanish media reported that Abascal's father initially rented the apartment in 1956, and she became the tenant after her parents passed away.

Despite the rent cap in place, Urbagestión, an investment fund that later acquired the unit, raised the monthly rent from 500 euros to 2,650 euros. The fund subsequently reduced the rent to 1,650 euros, which Abascal could not afford on her pension, according to the Madrid Tenants' Union.

The tenants' union organized the protest, highlighting the symbolic nature of Abascal's case. She expressed her determination in a video shared on Friday, stating that she may not have managed to defend her home, but she hoped her fight would inspire others to stand up for their rights. Analysts attribute Spain's housing crisis to rising costs and a shortage of homes, with the country estimated to have a shortage of about 550,000 homes last year.

The Bank of Spain noted that cities like Madrid, Barcelona, and Valencia bore a significant portion of this shortage. Spain ranks poorly among OECD countries for public rental housing, with less than 2% of available supply being publicly owned, compared to the EU average of 8%.