Thousands Protest in Madrid Over Housing Crisis

Tens of thousands of people protested in central Madrid on Saturday to denounce Spain's housing crisis. Demonstrators called for better protection for tenants, anti-fraud rules, and a ban on evictions without alternative housing. The march was organized following the eviction of 87-year-old Maricarmen Abascal from her apartment, where she had lived for seven decades. This case highlights the growing pressure on long-term tenants in Spain's major cities, where rental prices have surged in recent years due to gentrification and a shortage of affordable housing. Analysts attribute the housing supply issues to tourism and immigration-driven population growth. The Bank of Spain estimated a shortage of 550,000 homes across the country last year. Government authorities estimated that around 25,000 people participated in the protest, while the Madrid Tenants' Union claimed over 300,000 attended. After the rally, some activists set up a protest camp in Puerta del Sol square, with plans to remain until police intervened. Abascal's eviction on Wednesday was marked by her being removed from her home on a stretcher and taken to an ambulance. Protester Dora Garcia stated, "We're here because housing is a problem that already affects all of society, all ages and classes. And we can't keep maintaining this. Housing is a right, and we don't have it." Abascal's father first rented the home in the upscale Retiro neighborhood in 1956. After her parents died, she continued to live in the flat, which had a rent cap at the time. In 2018, the building changed ownership, and Urbagestion, an investment fund, raised the rent from €500 ($570) to €2,650 ($3,018). Although the fund later lowered her rent to €1,650, Abascal could not afford it. Courts had blocked her eviction three times previously, and her situation garnered extensive media coverage, making her a symbol of the housing crisis. Protester Simón de la Riva remarked, "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."