Police in Madrid have evicted an 87-year-old woman from the home she has lived in for more than 70 years, pushing ahead even as hundreds of protesters packed the street outside and Spain’s government criticised the court-ordered removal.
Maricarmen Abascal was given 30 minutes to leave, allowed to take only essential belongings. She was ultimately taken out of the building on a stretcher, accompanied by social services officials, and driven away in an ambulance.
Outside, her supporters raised their voices with chants of “Maricarmen, you’re not alone,” along with slogans aimed at the police and the authorities involved in carrying out the eviction.
The standoff has become a stark new flashpoint in Spain’s housing crisis, underlining the growing pressure on long-term tenants in major cities as rents climb, neighbourhoods gentrify and affordable housing remains scarce — forces that continue to inflame social and political tensions.
Protesters demonstrate against the eviction
Ms Abascal’s flat, in Madrid’s well-heeled Retiro neighbourhood, had been bought by an investment fund that sought a sharp rise in her rent.
Her lawyer, Beatriz Duro, said court officials and representatives of the investment fund, Urbagestion, refused to halt the eviction despite a pending court filing, humanitarian appeals and documentation showing public authorities were working to secure alternative accommodation.
Urbagestion did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Ms Duro said an anonymous person had offered to pay the rent, but the landlord declined to sign a new lease.
The operation triggered tense scenes at the entrance to the building, where police moved in to clear protesters who were blocking the doorway.
Reuters footage showed officers dragging and pushing demonstrators, and lifting some by their arms and legs as they opened a path inside.
Spain is still split over the right response to a deepening housing affordability squeeze.
The left-wing coalition government has argued for tougher tenant protections and broader rent controls, but has struggled to win support in a fragmented parliament. By contrast, the conservative-led Madrid regional government has backed a more market-driven approach.
Madrid’s regional president, Isabel Diaz Ayuso of the conservative People’s Party, is facing a scandal over her government’s purchase — through a public real estate agency — of a €6.3 million luxury penthouse.
The regional opposition alleges Ms Ayuso sought to use the property as a personal residence while sidestepping public spending and transparency rules, an accusation she has denied.
As the eviction unfolded, activists tied their anger to that controversy, shouting: “Ayuso’s penthouse for Maricarmen!”
