Spain: Thousands protest in Madrid against housing crisis
Tens of thousands rallied in the Spanish capital after an 87-year-old woman was dramatically evicted from her home this week. Protesters called for measures to curb rising costs and reduce evictions.
On Saturday, an estimated tens of thousands of individuals gathered in Madrid to protest the city's housing crisis. These demonstrators were advocating for improved tenant protections, anti-fraud measures, and a prohibition on evictions without the provision of alternative housing. The protest's catalyst was the eviction of 87-year-old Maricarmen Abascal from her apartment after seven decades of residence.
This case epitomizes the escalating pressure on long-term tenants in Spain's major urban areas, where rental prices have skyrocketed in recent years. Gentrification and the scarcity of affordable housing have exacerbated public frustration in the run-up to an upcoming general election.
The rally's organizers, the Madrid Tenants Union, claimed that over 300,000 people participated, although government authorities put the attendance at around 25,000. After the protest concluded, some activists established a tent camp in Madrid's Puerta del Sol square, intending to remain until the police forcibly removed them. Policemen observed a dozen tents ensconced amidst thousands of protesters.
Maricarmen Abascal's eviction served as the rallying point for the protest. The elderly woman was carried out of her home on a stretcher and placed on an ambulance. Abascal's father initially rented the property in the upscale Retiro neighborhood in 1956. After her parents passed away, she continued living in the flat, which initially had a rent cap.
However, in 2018, the building changed ownership, and Urbagestion, an investment fund, acquired the unit. This led to a substantial rent increase from €500 ($570) to €2,650 ($3,018). Abascal had been offered an opportunity to purchase the apartment prior but could not afford it. The fund later reduced her rent to €1,650 ($1,888), but even that amount was beyond her means.
Courts had previously blocked her eviction, and widespread media coverage transformed her into a symbol of the crisis.
Protesters expressed their distress over the housing situation, with 55-year-old nurse Dora Garcia stating that housing is a fundamental right and that the current state of affairs is unacceptable. Another protester, 43-year-old teacher Simón de la Riva, lamented the predatory practices of "vulture funds" buying up homes, people's inability to afford housing, and the widespread evictions affecting entire families, including an elderly woman like Abascal.
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