Eviction of 87-Year-Old Woman Sparks Madrid Protests
The eviction drew protests as the landlord rejected offers to cover the rent and Spain’s housing crisis deepened.
- On Wednesday, September 23, 2026, police evicted 87-year-old Maricarmen Abascal from her Retiro flat in Madrid after she lived there for 70 years, removing her on a stretcher as hundreds of protesters clashed with officers outside.
- Investment firm Urbagestión purchased the building in 2018 and invoked a legal loophole to raise Abascal's rent from €500 to €2,650 monthly; Spain's Supreme Court ruled in the firm's favor in March 2026, clearing the path for eviction.
- In June 2026, the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights requested the eviction be halted and alternative housing provided, while an anonymous donor offered to cover the rent difference; the landlord rejected both.
- Housing Minister Teresa Rodríguez called the eviction a "sad and dramatic day," while protesters drew sharp comparisons to Regional President Isabel Díaz Ayuso's controversial €6.3 million penthouse purchase, which critics allege was intended for personal use.
- The case has reignited national debate over Spain's housing crisis, where soaring rents, gentrification, and speculative investment funds deepen social tensions and fuel demands for stronger tenant protections and rent controls.
252 Articles
252 Articles
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