Madrid march demands stronger tenant protections after elderly woman’s eviction
Thousands of protesters marched through Madrid after the eviction of 87-year-old Maricarmen Abascal from her home of 70 years. Demonstrators called for action on rising rents and tougher safeguards against displacement, while Spain’s government considers measures whose passage remains uncertain in parliament.
Thousands of people marched through Madrid on Saturday to demand stronger tenant protections after the eviction of 87-year-old Maricarmen Abascal, whose removal from her lifelong home has intensified debate over Spain’s housing crisis. The protest ended outside parliament, with demonstrators rattling keys, blowing whistles and carrying banners warning that others could face a similar fate. Government authorities estimated the turnout at about 25,000, while organisers claimed 300,000 people attended.
Abascal was carried from her flat on a stretcher after police broke down the door on Wednesday. She had lived in the property for 70 years and was taken to hospital for exhaustion. In a video released by the Madrid Tenants’ Union, she urged people to join the protest and said she hoped her experience would help prevent similar evictions.
The union said a real estate firm acquired the property and increased the rent by 275 per cent to €2,650, or about US$3,000. Alicia del Rio, a spokesperson for the union, described the eviction as a turning point and said it had caused widespread outrage. Protesters said rents had moved beyond what many people could afford.
Enrique Ortega de Miguel, a graphic designer who lives with his mother, said finding affordable housing was difficult and that tenants feared being forced out. Other demonstrators said high costs were preventing young people from leaving their parents’ homes. Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, who has pledged to make housing a government priority, called Abascal’s eviction a social tragedy.
His government is expected to consider a package known as the “Maricarmen decree”, including automatic rental-contract renewals and additional limits on evictions. However, the package may face difficulty in parliament, where Sanchez’s government lacks a majority. A similar bill was defeated earlier this year.
The Bank of Spain estimates that the country is short of 700,000 homes, while the source material says limited public housing and increased demand have helped push rents higher.
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