Toronto Star
· collected 2026-09-26 · by Giada Zampano And Suman Naishadham The Associated Press
In Madrid, thousands protested against Spain’s housing crisis following the eviction of an 87-year-old woman from her long-time residence in the Retiro neighborhood. The protest called for tenant protections, anti-fraud measures, and bans on evictions without alternative housing options. María del Carmen Abascal, who lived in the apartment since her parents’ death and faced increasing rent she couldn’t afford after a change in ownership, became a symbol of Spain’s ongoing housing issues due to extensive media coverage.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-09-26,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
In Madrid, Maricarmen Abascal, an 87-year-old woman who had lived in her apartment for over seven decades, was forcibly evicted on Wednesday by riot police. The eviction followed a sharp rent increase of 275% by the investment firm Urbagestión after the building changed ownership in 2018. Despite protesters barricading the door with furniture to delay the eviction and hundreds gathering outside to protest, police used force to enter her home and removed Maricarmen on a stretcher to an ambulance.
Maricarmen’s lawyer, Beatriz Duro, criticized the authorities for not providing alternative housing or protective measures for tenants. The case highlights Spain's growing housing crisis, with soaring rents, gentrification, and a shortage of affordable homes leading to public outrage. Following the eviction, thousands marched in Madrid on Saturday demanding anti-fraud rules, tenant protections, and bans on evictions without guaranteed alternatives. Protests also occurred in 16 other cities, underscoring widespread concern over housing conditions across Spain.
Written for “Spain Housing Crisis Evictions Protests” on 2026-10-05,
grounded in this article and the 24 other(s) covering the same event.
MADRID (AP) — Thousands of people took to the streets in Madrid on Saturday to protest against Spain’s housing crisis and ask for protective measures for tenants, anti-fraud rules, and a ban on evictions without alternative housing.
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Thousands → take → housing
MADRID (AP) — Thousands of people took to the streets in Madrid on Saturday to protest against Spain’s housing crisis and ask for protective measures for tenants, anti-fraud rules, and a ban on evictions without alternative housing.
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Thousands → take → housing
The latest protest about housing was sparked by the dramatic eviction on Wednesday of an 87-year-old woman from the Madrid apartment she had lived in for decades.
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she → spark → decades
Taken out of her home on a stretcher in the upscale Retiro neighborhood, María del Carmen Abascal was greeted by protesters and supporters as she was loaded into an ambulance.
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she → take → ambulance
Spanish media reported that Abascal’s father first rented the property in 1956 and she continued as the tenant after her parents died, during which time there was a rent cap.
The building changed ownership in 2018, and Abascal was offered the opportunity to buy the apartment but could not afford it, according to the Madrid Tenants’ Union, which organized Saturday’s protest.
Urbagestión, an investment fund that later bought the unit, raised her monthly rent from 500 euros ($570) to 2,650 euros.
uncertain
that → report → euros
It subsequently lowered the rent to 1,650 euros, which Abascal still could not afford on her pension, the union said.
uncertain
union → lower → pension
Courts blocked three previous attempts to evict her.
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Courts → block → her
Extensive media coverage turned Abascal into a symbol of Spain’s housing crisis.
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coverage → turn → crisis
“I haven’t managed to defend my home, but I have fought so that others can learn to fight for what’s theirs,” Abascal said in a video shared on Friday by the tenants’ union.
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Abascal → manage → union
The video was recorded from her hospital bed after the eviction.
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video → record → eviction
Rising costs and a housing shortage are pricing many Spaniards out of the market, despite strong economic growth in Europe’s fourth-largest economy.
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costs → rise → economy
Incomes have not kept pace.
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Incomes → keep → pace
Analysts say tourism and immigration-driven population growth in cities have placed further pressure on the limited housing supply.
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tourism → say → supply
The Bank of Spain estimated that the country had a shortage of about 550,000 homes last year, with Madrid, Barcelona and Valencia accounting for a substantial share.
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Madrid → estimate → share
Spain ranks near the bottom of countries in the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development for public rental housing, which represents less than 2% of its available supply.
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which → rank → supply
Spain previously built homes with public funds that were later sold into private ownership, removing them from the public housing stock.
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that → build → stock
___
Zampano reported from Rome.
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Zampano → report → Rome
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you → register → ?
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Submitting → submit → password
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message → contain → account
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rates → find → ?
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you → log → ?
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