Madrid protest demands housing protections after 87-year-old's eviction

Thousands marched in Madrid on Saturday to protest Spain's housing crisis, demanding tenant protections, anti-fraud measures, and a ban on evictions without alternative housing. The protest follows the eviction of an 87-year-old woman from her Madrid apartment. María del Carmen Abascal was removed on a stretcher Wednesday from the Retiro neighborhood home her father first rented in 1956. Her rent rose from 500 euros to 2,650 euros after an investment fund bought the building, later lowering it to 1,650 euros, which she could not afford on her pension. Spain faces a shortage of about 550,000 homes, with public rental housing under 2% of supply versus the EU average of 8%. Analysts cite tourism and immigration-driven population growth as pressures, while incomes have not kept pace with rising costs.