What happened
Tens of thousands of protesters marched through Madrid to protest the eviction of an 87-year-old woman, María del Carmen Abascal, from her apartment in the upscale Retiro neighborhood where she had lived for over seven decades.
The protesters, including multigenerational families, camped overnight in Madrid's historic Puerta del Sol plaza, demanding stronger tenant protections, measures to combat fraud, and a ban on evictions when alternative housing is unavailable.
Abascal was carried from her apartment on a stretcher and placed in an ambulance as supporters chanted her nickname, with images of the eviction spreading widely across Spain and fueling outrage and criticism of public authorities and real estate investment companies.
The Spanish government is expected to announce new measures to address the housing crisis, including indefinite rental contracts and a stop to evictions like Abascal's, with Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez addressing Abascal directly and promising to work on a Royal Decree on housing.
The housing crisis in Spain has been exacerbated by rising costs and a shortage of homes, with many Spaniards being priced out of the market despite strong economic growth, and the country ranking near the bottom of countries in the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development for subsidized public rental housing.
