Tens Of Thousands March In Madrid Over Housing Crisis After 87-Year-Old Woman’s Eviction

Tens of thousands of people took to the streets of Madrid on Saturday to protest Spain’s housing crisis, demanding stronger protections for tenants, tougher anti-fraud measures and a ban on evictions when no alternative accommodation is available.

The demonstration followed the dramatic eviction on Wednesday of an 87-year-old woman from the Madrid apartment where she had lived for decades.

“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 protest. “Housing is a right and we don’t have it.”

María del Carmen Abascal was carried out of her home on a stretcher in Madrid’s upscale Retiro neighbourhood and taken to an ambulance, as protesters and supporters gathered around her.

According to Spanish media, Abascal’s father first rented the apartment in 1956. She continued living there after her parents died, under a rent-control system that was in place at the time.

The building changed ownership in 2018. The Madrid Tenants’ Union, which organised Saturday’s protest, said Abascal was offered the chance to purchase the apartment but could not afford it.

The property was later acquired by investment fund Urbagestión, which raised her monthly rent from 500 euros ($570) to 2,650 euros. The rent was subsequently reduced to 1,650 euros, but the union said that amount was still beyond what Abascal could afford on her pension.

Courts had previously blocked three attempts to evict her. Extensive media coverage of the case turned Abascal into a symbol of Spain’s broader housing crisis.

“This whole housing situation is 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,” said Simón de la Riva, a 43-year-old teacher who attended the protest.

“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,” he added.

At the end of the march, protesters gathered in Madrid’s Puerta del Sol plaza and appeared determined to remain there. Some pitched tents, planning to stay overnight or until police intervened.

Housing Shortage Fuels Pressure

Rising housing costs and a shortage of homes are putting increasing pressure on Spaniards despite strong economic growth in the eurozone’s fourth-largest economy. Housing costs have risen faster than incomes, while population growth driven by tourism and immigration has added pressure to housing supplies in major cities.

The Bank of Spain estimated that the country faced a shortage of around 550,000 homes last year, with Madrid, Barcelona and Valencia accounting for a significant portion of the deficit.

Spain also has one of the lowest levels of public rental housing among Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development countries, with such homes accounting for less than 2% of the housing stock. The European Union average is about 8%.

Spain previously used public funds to build homes that were later sold into private ownership, reducing the country’s stock of public housing.

Abascal, speaking from her hospital bed after the eviction in a video shared by the tenants’ union on Friday, said: “I haven’t managed to defend my home, but I have fought so that others can learn to fight for what’s theirs.”