Thousands Protest Housing Crisis and Evictions in Madrid

Tens of thousands of demonstrators marched through central Madrid on Saturday, demanding stringent tenant protections, anti-fraud regulations, and an outright ban on evictions that lack alternative housing amid a escalating nationwide affordability crunch. The mass mobilization followed the high-profile eviction on Wednesday of 87-year-old María del Carmen Abascal from the upscale Retiro neighborhood apartment she had occupied for decades. Transported from her home on a stretcher, Abascal was met by a crowd of supporters and protesters before being loaded into an ambulance. Abascal remained in the unit after her parents passed away, benefiting from a historical rent cap during those years. The property changed hands in 2018, and while Abascal was given the opportunity to purchase the apartment, she could not afford it. An investment fund named Urbagestión subsequently acquired the unit, raising her monthly rent from 500 euros to 2,650 euros. The firm later lowered the rent to 1,650 euros—an amount that still exceeded Abascal’s pension income, according to the tenants’ union. Although courts successfully blocked three previous attempts to oust her, the extensive media coverage surrounding the case transformed Abascal into a prominent symbol of Spain’s broader housing crisis. “We’re here because housing is a problem that already affects all of society, all ages and classes,” said 55-year-old nurse and protester Dora Garcia. “And we can’t keep maintaining this. Housing is a right and we don’t have it.”

Simón de la Riva, a 43-year-old teacher participating in the march, echoed those sentiments. “This whole housing situation is heartbreaking,” he said. “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. 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.”

As the march concluded, demonstrators staged a sit-in at the Puerta del Sol plaza, pitching tents with intentions to remain overnight or until forced out by police. Despite strong economic growth in Europe’s fourth-largest economy, rising costs and a severe housing shortage continue to price many Spaniards out of the market as household incomes fail to keep pace. Analysts point to a combination of tourism expansion and immigration-driven population growth in major urban centers as key factors straining limited housing inventories. Data from the Bank of Spain estimates that the nation faced a shortage of approximately 550,000 homes last year, with Madrid, Barcelona, and Valencia shouldering a substantial share of the deficit. Spain also ranks near the bottom among Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development countries regarding public rental housing, accounting for less than 2% of the available supply compared to an 8% European Union average. Historically, Spain constructed housing using public funds that were subsequently sold into private ownership, thereby depleting the permanent public housing stock. “I haven’t managed to defend my home, but I have fought so that others can learn to fight for what’s theirs,” Abascal said in a video recorded from her hospital bed and shared by the tenants’ union.