Madrid Housing Protests Continue After Eviction of 87-Year-Old Tenant

Protesters angered by the eviction of an 87-year-old woman have spent a second day camped in Madrid's Puerta del Sol, with multigenerational families joining demonstrations over Spain's housing crisis.

Tens of thousands marched through Madrid on Saturday to protest the removal of María del Carmen Abascal from an apartment in the upscale Retiro district, where she had lived for decades. Demonstrators are calling for stronger tenant protections, anti-fraud measures and a ban on evictions that leave people without alternative housing.

Many participants refused to disperse after Saturday's march, pitching tents in the historic plaza and staying overnight. Alicia del Río, a spokesperson for the Tenants' Union, which organised the protests, said the group would remain until the government passes new laws, including indefinite rental contracts. She said the camp would continue at least until Tuesday, when Spain's Socialist-led cabinet is expected to meet and announce new measures.

Abascal was carried out of her home on a stretcher and greeted by supporters as she was placed in an ambulance. Spanish media reported that her father first rented the apartment in 1956 and that she stayed on as a tenant under rent controls after her parents died. The building changed ownership in 2018, and she was offered the chance to buy the unit but could not afford it, according to the Madrid Tenants' Union.

Urbagestión, an investment fund that later acquired the unit, raised her monthly rent from 500 euros to 2,650 euros before lowering it to 1,650 euros, which the union said she still could not pay from her pension.

"Maricarmen has been, in a way, the last straw that sparked this social unrest," said Simón de la Riva, 43, a teacher taking part in the protests.

Rising costs and a shortage of housing are pushing many Spaniards out of the market despite strong growth in Europe's fourth-largest economy. Incomes have not kept pace with housing costs, and analysts say tourism and immigration-driven population growth in cities have added pressure on limited supply. The Bank of Spain estimated a shortfall of about 550,000 homes last year, with Madrid, Barcelona and Valencia accounting for a substantial share.

The weekend gatherings in the symbolic plaza have drawn comparisons to the demonstrations that began on May 15, 2011, when the "indignados" movement camped for 28 consecutive days, inspiring similar sit-ins across Spain and beyond. That movement responded to evictions and other economic problems after a global crisis, including unemployment, austerity and corruption.

Political scientist and columnist Estefania Molina said popular frustration has deepened. In 2011, she noted, "people protested because they couldn't buy an apartment." Today, she said, "the protest is about not being able to rent a room in someone else's home."

Spain ranks near the bottom of OECD countries for subsidised public rental housing, which makes up less than 2% of its housing stock, compared with an EU average of 8%.