Elderly Woman Evicted from 70-Year-Old Madrid Home Sparks National Outrage
Spain erupts in anger after 87-year-old woman evicted from home of 70 years. Protests and calls for housing reform grow.
POLICY WIRE — Madrid, Spain — An 87-year-old woman was forcibly removed from the Madrid apartment she had called home for over seven decades, igniting public outrage and highlighting a worsening housing crisis across Spain.
The incident, which took place in the Retiro neighborhood, involved Maricarmen Abascal, a wheelchair user, being carried out on a stretcher and transported by ambulance. Hundreds of residents gathered outside the building to protest, with police attempting to hold them back as the eviction proceeded.
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Abascal’s legal representative criticized the eviction as excessive and inhumane, while local tenants’ groups have organized demonstrations in multiple cities. The case has intensified scrutiny of rising rents and shrinking affordable housing, with activists calling for urgent reforms. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez condemned the eviction as a social tragedy, adding to growing pressure on local authorities.
Reporting by Policy-Wire (PW)
