10,000 gather in support of 87-year-old forcefully evicted from home of 71 years

Nearly 10,000 people gathered in Madrid to protest the eviction of an 87-year-old woman from an apartment she had lived in for 71 years. María del Carmen “Maricarmen” Abascal had been living in the Retiro neighbourhood since 1956. She was forcefully removed from her home on September 23. Spanish outlet El País reported that the apartment building had been acquired by the investment fund, Urbagestion. It increased the rent to unimaginable levels. From €500 ($572) it shot up to €2,650 ($3,014), before being lowered to €1,650 ($1,877). Abascal could not afford the new rent since her monthly pension is €1,350 ($1,535).

She had moved into the apartment at the age of 17. Her father signed an old-style regulated tenancy agreement. Euronews reported that the apartment passed on to her mother after his death, and Abascal acquired it after her mother's death in 2005. But she started renting it from Urbagestion in 2018.

“I’ve lived here for 71 years, and I don’t want to leave,” she told reporters on Tuesday (September 22), a day before she was evicted.

The private landlord brought a case against Abascal's hold over the property, arguing that the contract’s timing was no longer applicable and her occupation of the apartment was invalid. Local outlet El Confidencial reported that in 2022, a lower court ruled in her favour. But in March 2026, the Supreme Court ruled against her.

Spain is facing a rising affordable housing crisis which sees three evictions a day in the Madrid area. Abascal has had several people supporting her, but humanitarian appeals have failed as Urbagestion’s representatives refused to suspend the eviction. El Paid reported that public authorities were seeking alternative accommodation for her.

Euronews reported that the eviction was postponed several times, first in October 2025 and twice in June. Even the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights called on the Spanish government to stop the eviction. However, Abascal was ultimately evicted. On the day of the eviction, she was given 30 minutes to pack her things. Nearly 10,000 protesters were present in the area and many of them thronged the building. They were forcefully removed from the doorway. Abascal was removed on a stretcher, put in an ambulance and taken away.

“Maricarmen, you’re not alone!” and “Murderers!” chants filled the area. City Hall housing department said she was offered alternatives, but she rejected them all saying she would live with relatives.