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An 87-year-old Spanish pensioner is set to return to the home she was forcibly evicted from after her case sparked protests across Spain.
Maricarmen Abascal was carried out of the Madrid flat where she had lived for 70 years on a stretcher on 23 September, following a dispute over a proposed 275 per cent rent rise.
Footage filmed inside showed riot police forcing their way through a barricade of chairs, shelves and a lamp as supporters tried to stop the court-ordered eviction.
asserted
supporters → see → eviction
Tens of thousands marched through the Spanish capital on Saturday to protest her eviction and demand stronger protection for tenants amid a housing shortage and soaring rents.
asserted
thousands → march → shortage
Ms Abascal's lawyer, Beatriz Duro, said both sides had shown 'goodwill' and agreed a new contract under which she would pay a similar amount of rent.
asserted
she → say → rent
The agreement has yet to be signed.
asserted
agreement → have → ?
Ms Abascal, who is being treated for exhaustion, will sign it when she feels better, Duro said.
asserted
Duro → treat → it
Duro called the agreement the 'result of the social mobilisation'.
asserted
Duro → call → mobilisation
Supporters hailed it as a victory but vowed to keep campaigning against evictions and for more affordable housing.
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Supporters → hail → housing
Ms Abascal's father first rented the flat, in the upmarket area of Retiro in central Madrid, in 1956.
asserted
father → rent → 1956
She remained its tenant after her parents died, with her rent capped under an old tenancy agreement.
asserted
rent → remain → agreement
An 87-year-old Spanish pensioner is set to return to the home she was evicted from after a proposed 275 per cent rent increase sparked protests
Maricarmen was removed from the property despite pleas from her supporters
Footage filmed inside showed riot police forcing their way through a barricade of chairs, shelves and a lamp as supporters tried to stop the court-ordered eviction
Maricarmen waits at home to see whether her eviction will go ahead or be prevented, on September 23, 2026
Thousands of demonstrators march through central Madrid, Spain, on September 26, to protest the recent eviction of Maricarmen Abascal
Spanish riot police removes one of the activits, who were trying to prevent the eviction of Maricarmen Abascal
Urbagestión Desarrollo e Inversión SL, run by investment brothers Ricardo Alonso Fernández and Fernando Alonso Fuentes, bought the apartment in 2018.
asserted
SL → set → 2018
Ms Abascal had been paying around €440 (£379) a month.
asserted
Abascal → pay → 440
The firm later proposed €1,650 (£1,420), a rise of 275 per cent, according to Spanish reports.
uncertain
firm → propose → reports
Three previous attempts to evict her were blocked by the courts.
The Bank of Spain estimates that the country is short of 700,000 homes.
asserted
country → evict → homes
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has promised housing relief measures when his cabinet meets on Tuesday, while his Socialist Party, which lacks a parliamentary majority, hopes to pass legislation addressing public anger.
asserted
which → promise → anger
Ms Abascal's lawyer claims the building's owners had not spoken directly to her once in the eight years since the purchase.
uncertain
owners → claim → purchase
Both brothers are lawyers and have been administrators of Urbagestión since it was founded in 2005.
asserted
it → found → 2005
The firm paid around €240,000 (£207,000) for Ms Abascal's apartment, according to reports.
uncertain
firm → pay → reports
The men are also linked to more than a dozen other companies, including businesses in property, construction and pharmacy sector advisory services.
asserted
men → link → services
British pianist James Rhodes revealed after the eviction that he had contacted Urbagestión and offered to pay Ms Abascal's rent or buy the apartment so she could remain there.
uncertain
she → reveal → apartment
He said the firm rejected both proposals.
asserted
firm → say → proposals
Supporters of Ms Abascal camped outside the building on September 22, joined by celebrities including Javier Bardem's brother, Carlos, and the singer Ana Belén, who read out the poem Desahucio (Eviction) by Rafael Alberti.
asserted
who → camp → Alberti
Police carried out the court-ordered eviction, while health workers took Ms Abascal from the building as protesters chanted, 'Maricarmen, you are not alone'.
asserted
you → carry → building
The legal battle reached the Supreme Court which ruled in favour of the firm, clearing the way for the eviction, the Madrid renters' union said.
asserted
union → reach → eviction
Police officers charged and dragged away dozens of activists who had camped outside Ms Abascal's building to try to stop the eviction, to cries of 'shame!' from protesters.
asserted
who → charge → protesters
After leaving the building, she was taken to the Gregorio Marañón Hospital.
asserted
she → leave → Hospital
She refused the free emergency placement offered by the city and is thought to be staying with a relative.
asserted
She → refuse → relative
Maricarmen attends an event organized by housing activists the day before her scheduled eviction from her home in Madrid
Maricarmen, minutes before being evicted, on 23 September, 2026 in Madrid, Spain
Police remove a member of the Madrid Tenants' Union from forming a barricade in front of the access to the building
Tens of thousands marched through the Spanish capital on Saturday to protest her eviction and demand stronger protection for tenants amid a housing shortage and soaring rents
Demonstrators march through central Madrid to protest high rents and demand action on Spain's housing crisis on September 26, 2026
Amnesty International Spain slammed 'a violation of human rights' and 'a system that puts the speculative interests of a vulture fund before Ms Abascal's right to stay in her house'.
asserted
that → attend → house
'It isn't an isolated case, it is just another portrayal of the suffering that thousands of households go through in Spain,' Amnesty said in a statement.
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Amnesty → go → statement
In an interview with public broadcaster RTVE recorded on September 22, Ms Abascal called the company 'inhuman, and all in order to make money'.
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Abascal → record → money
'You cannot make a person live for seven years with a machete hanging over their neck,' she said, blaming the national, regional and city authorities for her plight.
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she → make → plight
Socialist Housing Minister Isabel Rodriguez insisted the minority Leftist government had repeatedly tried to pass a law to ban such evictions and accused the conservative-run Madrid region of 'rolling out the red carpet for these speculators'.
asserted
government → insist → speculators
Housing has for years been a top concern for Spaniards as supply falls short of demand, with rents and purchasing prices soaring relentlessly as elsewhere in the European Union.
asserted
rents → fall → Union
Residents in the world's second-most visited country blame short-term tourist rentals such as Airbnb for driving up prices and cutting supply, sparking protests in hotspots including Barcelona.
asserted
Residents → visit → Barcelona
'I'm leaving Madrid, because Madrid isn't Madrid.
asserted
Madrid → leave → Madrid
They are all the tourists that you have in Gran Via,' Ms Abascal told RTVE, referring to the Spanish capital's main commercial thoroughfare.
asserted
Abascal → have → thoroughfare
The Aporia
