Tens of thousands of demonstrators filled the streets of Madrid on Saturday to protest Spain's escalating housing crisis, demanding stronger protections for tenants, anti-fraud regulations, and a complete ban on evictions when alternative housing is not provided. The massive mobilization was catalyzed by the high-profile eviction of an 87-year-old woman from her long-term apartment earlier in the week.
MarÃa del Carmen Abascal was removed from her home in Madrid's upscale Retiro neighborhood on Wednesday. Carried out on a stretcher and placed into an ambulance, she was met by a crowd of supportive protesters. According to Spanish media reports, Abascal's father originally rented the property in 1956, and she remained the tenant under a rent cap after her parents passed away. The building's ownership changed in 2018, and though Abascal was given the opportunity to purchase the apartment, she was unable to afford it.
The Madrid Tenants’ Union, which organized Saturday's protest, stated that the investment fund Urbagestión later acquired the unit and raised the monthly rent from 500 euros ($570) to 2,650 euros. Although the fund subsequently lowered the rent to 1,650 euros, it remained far beyond what Abascal could afford on her pension. While courts blocked three prior attempts to evict her, the fourth attempt was successful, turning Abascal into a prominent symbol of the nation's housing struggles.
"I haven’t managed to defend my home, but I have fought so that others can learn to fight for what’s theirs," Abascal said in a video shared by the tenants' union, recorded from her hospital bed following the eviction.
Protesters expressed deep frustration with the systemic issues pricing residents out of major cities. "We’re here because housing is a problem that already affects all of society, all ages and classes," said Dora Garcia, a 55-year-old nurse who joined the march. "And we can’t keep maintaining this. Housing is a right and we don’t have it."
Another demonstrator, 43-year-old teacher Simón de la Riva, described the situation as heartbreaking. "Maricarmen has been, in a way, the last straw that sparked this social unrest, but we’ve been dealing with this whole issue for a long time now," de la Riva said. "It’s unacceptable that vulture funds are buying up homes, that people can’t afford to live, that entire families are being evicted, and that an elderly woman has been evicted."
At the conclusion of the march, demonstrators staged a sit-in at the Puerta del Sol plaza. Some pitched tents with the intention of staying overnight or until they were forcibly removed by law enforcement.
Despite solid economic growth in Europe's fourth-largest economy, a severe housing shortage and rising costs have left many Spaniards unable to keep up as incomes stagnate. Industry analysts point to tourism and population growth driven by immigration as major factors squeezing the limited housing supply in urban centers. Compounding the issue, Spain ranks near the bottom of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development for public rental housing, which accounts for less than 2% of its total supply, compared to an 8% average across the European Union. In previous decades, Spain built residential properties using public funds but later sold them into private ownership, depleting its public housing stock.
Associated Press writer Giada Zampano contributed from Rome.
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