Thousands march in Madrid to protest Spain’s housing crisis after eviction of 87-year-old woman
- On Saturday, thousands of demonstrators marched to Madrid's Puerta del Sol, demanding stronger tenant protections following the eviction of 87-year-old Maricarmen Abascal from her home of 70 years earlier this week.
- Abascal became a symbol of Spain's housing crisis after a real estate firm raised her monthly rent by 275 percent to 2,650 euros , forcing the 87-year-old from her lifelong residence.
- The Bank of Spain estimates a shortage of 550,000 homes, with public housing accounting for less than 2% of supply. Tourism and immigration-driven population growth have pushed rents out of step with salaries.
- Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez plans to approve a package dubbed the 'Maricarmen decree' at the next cabinet meeting, including automatic rental renewals and stricter eviction restrictions.
- Activists established a protest camp in Puerta del Sol after the march, with some demonstrators calling for an early general election; the next national vote is scheduled for August 2027.
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200 Articles
This Saturday's demonstration brought together more than 300,000 people according to the organization and 25,000 according to the Government Delegation.
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After the forced evacuation of an 87-year-old woman, tens of thousands of people are taking to the streets in Spain. The Maricarmen case becomes a symbol of the severe housing shortage - and increases the pressure on the left government.
Thousands of people took to the streets in the Spanish capital, Madrid, today to protest the housing crisis. The demonstrators want measures to protect tenants, rules to combat fraud, and a ban on evictions without alternative housing. Some of the protesters returned to Puerta del Sol square after the march to camp there, reports the newspaper El País. Around twenty tents are reportedly already set up, while more people are arriving at the squar…
The protest was triggered by the eviction of Maricarmen Abascal, 87, from the house where he lived seven decades by the police, in compliance with a court order that gave reason to the investment fund that bought the apartment
The case of Maricarmen Abascal, which had become a symbol of the housing crisis in Spain, accentuated the pressure on Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, who had committed himself to making housing a government priority.
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- 37% of the sources are Center, 37% of the sources lean Right
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