Madrid protests erupt after 87-year-old's eviction

Tens of thousands of people demonstrated in Madrid against forced evictions after an 87-year-old woman was removed from her home, with the case becoming a symbol of Spain's housing crisis and increasing pressure on the left-wing government. The protest, under the slogan "Ni una Maricarmen más," drew an estimated 25,000 participants per the Interior Ministry, though organizers claimed 300,000. Maricarmen, who has a 50 percent disability, was evicted Wednesday after 70 years in her apartment, following its sale to a real estate company. Demonstrators blamed both Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez's central government and regional administrations for the housing shortage, demanding indefinite lease extensions, rent freezes, and eviction protections. The government plans to approve a decree Tuesday addressing evictions, while Podemos politician Irene Montero called for expropriating 650,000 homes from "vulture funds."