10,000 Protesters Rally In Madrid After 87-Year-Old Woman Evicted From Home

Thousands of protesters packed a tree-lined street on September 23, chanting and raising their hands during an evening rally following the eviction of 87-year-old Maricarmen Abascal from her longtime home, with X user Carlos Entenza filming the crowd.

A banner read “THEY ARE STEALING OUR NEIGHBORHOOD / VULTURE FUNDS OUT” alongside building addresses. Protesters also waved a black-and-red flag reading “THE NEIGHBORHOOD DEFENDS ITSELF.”

Police had carried out the fourth attempt to evict Abascal from her rent-controlled flat at Alcalde Sáinz de Baranda 46 in Madrid’s Retiro district, where she had lived since 1956.

The owner, Urbagestión, had raised the rent from about €500 to €2,650. Abascal left the apartment on a stretcher.

That evening, the Sindicato de Inquilinas called a rally that grew to about 10,000 people, according to the government delegation. The demonstration began near a luxury penthouse bought by the Madrid regional government before later moving toward Paseo de la Castellana.