Eviction of 87-Year-Old Woman Sparks Madrid Protests
The case has intensified Spain’s housing debate as protesters said a 275% rent increase pushed the pensioner out after repeated court rulings.
- 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.
304 Articles
304 Articles
Maricarmen Abascal lived in her apartment in Madrid for seven decades. Because she could not pay the rent increase, she was forced to evict. Now there are protests in many cities in Spain.
Spain's main tenants' unions urged the government on Friday to pass a new law to address the country's housing crisis after an 87-year-old woman was evicted from her home in Madrid, sparking nationwide protests.
Spain tenants’ unions urge new law after pensioner eviction sparks anger
Spain’s main tenants’ unions on Friday urged the government to pass a new law to tackle the country’s housing crisis after an 87-year-old was evicted from her Madrid home, sparking nationwide protests.
A fund had quadrupled her rent: it is an exemplary case of what happens in many Spanish cities
A woman lost her home in a disputed rent case, illustrating the enormous housing crisis ordinary Spaniards are suffering from.
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