Madrid protests intensify over eviction of 87-year-old amid housing crisis
Thousands gathered in Madrid to demand stronger tenant protections after an 87-year-old woman was evicted, prompting the government to promise new housing legislation.
Protesters set up tents overnight in Madrid’s Puerta del Sol plaza after the forced removal of an 87-year-old resident from her long-standing home in the Retiro district. Tens of thousands marched through the city on Saturday, calling for stricter tenant safeguards, measures against rental fraud and a ban on evictions when alternative housing is unavailable.
"The housing situation is unsustainable," said Natalia Navarro, a 27-year-old actress who was among those camping in the plaza. "We are all out on the street because we are fed up."
"The wave of indignation and anger that has been unleashed is now unstoppable," said Alicia del Río, spokesperson for the Madrid Tenants' Union, which organized the demonstrations. "We will remain here until the government passes new laws, including indefinite rental contracts, and stops evictions like this one."
The eviction on Sept. 23 involved the woman, María del Carmen Abascal, being taken from her apartment on a stretcher and placed in an ambulance despite supporters' attempts to intervene. In a video recorded from her hospital bed, Abascal said she had failed to defend her home but hoped her case would inspire others to fight for their rights.
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez addressed Abascal directly at a party rally, stating that the government was working on a Royal Decree on housing to be presented next Tuesday and urging parliament to approve it.
Abascal’s apartment, originally rented by her father in 1956, changed ownership in 2018. The new owner, an investment fund, raised the rent from €500 to €2,650 before lowering it to €1,650, a level the tenant could not afford on her pension, according to the tenants' union.
Analysts note that rising rents and a shortage of roughly 550,000 homes, particularly in Madrid, Barcelona and Valencia, are outpacing income growth, exacerbating the crisis. Spain’s public subsidized rental stock remains below 2 % of total housing, far lower than the EU average of 8 %.
The protests echo the 2011 “indignados” movement, which also centered on evictions and economic hardship, though the current focus has shifted from home ownership to the ability to rent affordable accommodation.