Madrid Eviction of 87-Year-Old Sparks Mass Protests Over Spain's Housing Crisis

Tens of thousands protested in Madrid on Saturday against Spain's housing crisis, demanding tenant protections, anti-fraud rules, and a ban on evictions without alternative housing. The protest followed Wednesday's dramatic eviction of an 87-year-old woman from her Madrid apartment. The eviction of María del Carmen Abascal, carried out on a stretcher, sparked outrage. Her father first rented the property in 1956 under rent-control rules. After ownership changed in 2018, an investment fund raised her rent from 500 euros to 2,650 euros monthly, later reducing it to 1,650 euros, which she could not afford on her pension. Abascal has become a symbol of Spain's housing crisis. The Bank of Spain estimates the country faced a shortage of about 550,000 homes last year, with Madrid, Barcelona, and Valencia accounting for a significant share of the deficit.