Thousands march in Madrid to protest Spain's housing crisis after eviction of 87-year-old woman

On Saturday, thousands of individuals gathered in Madrid to protest the country's housing crisis, demanding protective measures for tenants, anti-fraud rules, and a ban on evictions without alternate housing. The demonstration was ignited by the sudden eviction of 87-year-old María del Carmen Abascal from her decades-long apartment in the upscale Retiro neighborhood. Carried out on a stretcher, Abascal's removal drew immediate public support as she was transported to an ambulance.

Abascal, whose father initially rented the property in 1956, continued living there after her parents passed away, all while a rent cap was in place. The building changed hands in 2018, and Abascal was offered the chance to purchase the apartment; however, she was unable to afford the price. Urbagestión, an investment fund that bought the unit, increased her monthly rent from 500 euros to 2,650 euros, which she could not maintain on her pension, according to the Madrid Tenants’ Union.

Three previous eviction attempts were halted by courts. The extensive media coverage turned Abascal into a symbol of Spain's housing crisis. In a video recorded from her hospital bed, she stated, "I haven’t managed to defend my home, but I have fought so that others can learn to fight for what’s theirs."

Spain's housing crisis is fueled by rising costs and a shortage of homes, despite robust economic growth in Europe's fourth-largest economy. Many Spaniards are priced out of the market due to income stagnation. The Bank of Spain estimated a shortage of about 550,000 homes in the country, with Madrid, Barcelona, and Valencia housing a significant portion.

Spain lags behind other Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development nations, with public rental housing representing less than 2% of the available supply—far below the EU average of 8%.