Thousands march in Madrid to protest Spain’s housing crisis after eviction of 87-year-old woman
- On Saturday, September 26, 2026, thousands of demonstrators marched through Madrid to protest the housing crisis, subsequently pitching around 150 tents in Puerta del Sol plaza demanding stronger tenant protections and an eviction ban.
- Public outrage follows the dramatic eviction of 87-year-old Maricarmen Abascal on Wednesday, September 23, 2026; investment fund Urbagestión acquired her building in 2018, raising rent from 500 euros to 2,650 euros she could not afford.
- Bank of Spain estimates a shortage of about 550,000 homes, while public rental housing represents less than 2% of available supply, well below the 8% European Union average, exacerbating affordability pressures.
- Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez's government plans to approve the 'Maricarmen decree' at Tuesday's cabinet meeting, introducing automatic rental contract renewals and stricter eviction limits, though passage in parliament remains uncertain.
- Madrid Tenants' Union spokesperson Alicia del Río described the mobilization as a 'point of no return' for Spain's housing struggle as protesters maintain the encampment amid mounting pressure ahead of the 2027 general election.
324 Articles
324 Articles
After the clearing of the 87-year-old Maricarmen, tens of thousands are demonstrating in Madrid for the right to housing. The left government is still looking for a majority for new protection rules.
Tens of thousands of people have taken to the streets in Madrid out of outrage at the forced removal of an 87-year-old and anger at the ever-increasing shortage of housing in Spain.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez promises emergency measures after the expulsion of an octogenary who has become the symbol of the housing crisis in the country Spanish Prime Minister Pedro
87-year-old’s eviction sparks encampment in Madrid plaza to protest housing crisis
Protesters outraged by the eviction of an 87-year-old woman spent the night camped in Madrid’s historic Puerta del Sol plaza, where more people — including multigenerational families — joined them Sunday.
The crisis in Spain's housing has taken on a spectacular turn, with protesters occupying a market in Madrid from Saturday evening to demand increased protection for tenants, after the evacuation, Wednesday, of an 80-year-old woman, an event that has stirred up emotion throughout the country, France Presse transmits. "We are all Maricarmen, "No other Maricarmen: ...
Madrid. Under the “Maricarmen, not one more”, in reference to the octogenarian Maricarmen Abascal, which had been its 70th home, years after being acquired by a vulture fund, tens of thousands of people traveled in the center of Madrid with shouts against the right-wing governments of the Community of Madrid and the city council, but also to demand that the Spanish government, presided over by the socialist Pedro Sánchez, take urgent measures to…
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