{
  "id": 10088013,
  "title": "An 87-year-old woman was evicted via stretcher from a Madrid apartment she lived in for decades, sparking mass protest against Spain’s housing crisis",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/26/an-87-year-old-woman-was-evicted-via-stretcher-from-a-madrid",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-26T22:59:22.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Fortune",
    "slug": "fortune",
    "url": "https://fortune.com/2026/09/26/87-year-old-woman-eviction-madrid-apartment-protest-spain-housing-crisis/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "On Saturday, Madrid was filled with tens of thousands of demonstrators who gathered to voice their outrage over Spain's housing crisis. They demanded tenant protections, anti-fraud rules, and a ban on evictions without alternative housing. The protest targeted a particularly dramatic eviction that had occurred just days earlier, the case of an 87-year-old woman named María del Carmen Abascal.\n\nAbascal had lived in her Madrid apartment for decades, inheriting it after her parents died. Despite maintaining the property since 1956 under a rent cap, she was evicted in March from the upscale Retiro neighborhood. Her monthly rent skyrocketed from 500 euros to 2,650 euros when the building changed ownership in 2018, a move that left her unable to pay on her pension.\n\nThe Madrid Tenants' Union organized the mass protest to bring attention to Abascal's eviction, which had become a symbol of Spain's widespread housing issues. Protesters like 55-year-old nurse Dora Garcia and 43-year-old teacher Simón de la Riva emphasized that the crisis affects people of all ages and classes. They criticized the involvement of vulture funds in buying up homes, the housing shortage driven by tourism and immigration, and the inadequate public rental housing supply in Spain, which is less than 2% of available homes compared to the EU average of 8%.\n\nAbascal's eviction had been blocked by the courts three times, but Urbagestión, an investment fund that purchased the apartment, eventually succeeded. The bank estimated Spain's housing shortage at about 550,000 homes, with Madrid, Barcelona, and Valencia suffering the most. Abascal expressed her frustration in a video recorded from her hospital bed, stating she hopes her story inspires others to fight for their rights.",
  "summary": "The Bank of Spain estimated that the country had a shortage of about 550,000 homes last year, with Madrid, Barcelona and Valencia accounting for a substantial share.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 7,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "The Olive Press",
        "title": "Political round-up: Ceuta migrant crisis and family corruption cases haunt Pedro Sanchez in New York as Madrid mobilises for Maricarmen",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/26/political-round-up-ceuta-migrant-crisis-and-family-corruption-cases",
        "published": "2026-09-26T14:07:05.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Spain in English",
        "title": "Thousands march in Madrid over Ceuta crisis, demanding early election and migrant returns",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/26/thousands-march-in-madrid-over-ceuta-crisis-demanding-early-election",
        "published": "2026-09-26T18:15:16.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Winnipeg Free Press",
        "title": "Thousands march in Madrid to protest Spain’s housing crisis after eviction of 87-year-old woman",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/26/thousands-march-in-madrid-to-protest-spains-housing-crisis-after-10046889",
        "published": "2026-09-26T19:11:33.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Hindustan Times - World News",
        "title": "Thousands march in Madrid to protest Spain's housing crisis after eviction of 87-year-old woman",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/26/thousands-march-in-madrid-to-protest-spains-housing-crisis-after",
        "published": "2026-09-26T19:11:59.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Channel News Asia",
        "title": "Thousands march in Madrid to protest Spain's housing crisis after eviction of 87-year-old woman",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/26/thousands-march-in-madrid-to-protest-spains-housing-crisis-after-10055668",
        "published": "2026-09-26T20:02:13.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Al Jazeera",
        "title": "Tens of thousands attend right-wing protest over Ceuta migrant crisis",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/26/tens-of-thousands-attend-right-wing-protest-over-ceuta-migrant-crisis",
        "published": "2026-09-26T20:21:56.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}