Thousands of Spaniards Protest Against Housing Crisis

During their march in central Madrid, protesters banged keys, blew whistles, chanted slogans, and held signs demanding measures to curb rising housing costs and stricter eviction procedures.

One sign read, 'You could be the next Maricarmen.'

Enrique Ortega de Miguel, a 38-year-old graphic designer living with his mother, said, 'Finding affordable housing is a struggle, and then you live in fear of being forced to leave.'

Government authorities estimated the number of participants at around 25,000, while protest organizers said 300,000 people took part.

Abascal, who has become a symbol of the housing crisis, urged Spaniards to join the protests in a video message posted online hours before the demonstration.

From the hospital, where she is being treated for exhaustion since being evicted from her home, she said, 'I want what happened to me to be a lesson to prevent it from happening to others.'

Abascal was forced to leave the apartment where she had lived for 70 years after a company took over the property and raised the rent by 275% to 2,650 euros, according to Spain's largest tenant union.

During the demonstration, Maricarmen Arnido, a 76-year-old retiree, said that while older people are being forced to leave their homes, 'young people can't leave their parents' homes.'

She added, 'We want house and rent prices to go down, because I'm tired of washing my son's underwear, and he's 53.'

After the march concluded, some protesters set up a sit-in camp in Plaza del Sol in the city center, according to a statement from the union that called for people to gather there.

A post on the X platform read, 'We can't stand the situation anymore, either the rental system falls or the government falls.'

About a dozen tents were set up in view of the police in the square in front of the Madrid regional government headquarters, amid crowds of thousands of protesters, according to a Reuters correspondent on site.

Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, who pledged last year to make housing a priority, is under increasing pressure to act amid ongoing protests since Abascal's eviction.

His government is expected to approve a package of measures called 'Maricarmen's Law' during the next cabinet meeting, including automatic renewal of rental contracts and additional restrictions on evictions.

However, parliamentary approval is not guaranteed, as Sánchez's government lacks a majority.

Despite a similar bill being rejected earlier this year, Abascal's case has increased pressure on political parties to act.

The Bank of Spain estimates that the country, with a population of around 50 million, suffers from a shortage of 700,000 housing units, based on the gap between demand and new construction.

Analysts believe Spain lacks an abundance of public housing, while rents have risen driven by increased demand, including demand from tourism and population growth linked to migration.