An 87-year-old disabled woman was forcibly evicted from her Madrid apartment of seven decades following a 230% rent increase demanded by an investment fund, sparking nationwide protests across Spain over skyrocketing housing costs, soaring rents, and a severe shortage of public housing options.
The eviction of Maricarmen Abascal on Wednesday from her home in Madrid’s upscale Retiro neighborhood ignited swift demonstrations across Spain. Video footage showing Abascal, who uses a wheelchair, being carried from the building on a stretcher while supporters clashed with law enforcement triggered widespread outrage. Thousands took to the streets in Madrid and cities including Granada, Logroño, and Zaragoza, demanding stronger tenant protections and a check on speculative real estate acquisitions.
Maricarmen Abascal’s Seven-Decade Home and the 230% Rent Hike
Abascal’s connection to the apartment dated back to 1956, when her father originally signed a lease subject to rent controls. After her parents passed away, she continued living in the flat under the protected rental framework. That arrangement changed when investment fund Urbagestion purchased the building in 2018.
The new owners raised the monthly rent from 500 euros ($570) to 2,650 euros ($3,018). Although Abascal was offered a chance to buy the unit, she could not afford it. The fund subsequently lowered the asking price to 1,650 euros, an amount that still exceeded her means. Courts had blocked three prior eviction attempts before the final enforcement carried out on Wednesday, which left the 87-year-old exhausted and hospitalized at Hospital Gregorio Marañón.
“I haven’t managed to defend my home, but I have fought so that others can learn to fight for what’s theirs.”
Maricarmen Abascal
Tens of Thousands March in Madrid as Puerta del Sol Becomes a Protest Camp
By Saturday, public anger translated into massive demonstrations. Government authorities estimated that roughly 25,000 people marched through central Madrid, while the Madrid Tenants’ Union put the turnout at over 300,000. Protesters chanted slogans and carried placards declaring Not one more eviction, not one less neighbor, we are all Maricarmen
and demanding fair housing prices.
When the march concluded, demonstrators occupied the central Puerta del Sol plaza. Activists pitched a dozen tents and established an overnight protest camp beneath a hanging model of a vulture, symbolizing corporate vulture funds
buying up residential property. Police officers monitored the sit-in as protesters settled in for an extended demonstration.
Spain’s Deeper Housing Crunch and Shortage of Social Stock
The eviction highlights structural pressures across Spain’s real estate market, where rents climbed 80% over a decade while home values increased by 63%. Analysts attribute the strain to tourism booms, short-term vacation rentals, and population growth driven by immigration, which have heavily constrained housing supply in major urban centers.
According to Bank of Spain estimates, the country faced a shortage of roughly 550,000 homes last year. Rights campaigners note that approximately 3m homes sit empty across Spain while eviction rates remain at roughly 25,000 per year.
Political Recriminations and Pledges for Legislative Action
Political leaders traded blame over the systemic failures that enabled the eviction.
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