87-Year-Old Woman’s Eviction Sparks Night Protest As Madrid Crowd Faces Riot Police

Protesters sat across a roadway under streetlights and flashing blue police lights on September 23, with X user Víctor Palomo filming the night sit-in as a person wearing a Renters’ Union vest stood in front of the crowd.

The camera then panned toward riot police carrying shields and standing beside marked vans under an overpass, while people watched from a bridge.

The demonstration followed the eviction of 87-year-old Maricarmen Abascal from her flat in Madrid’s Retiro district earlier that day.

An evening rally of about 10,000 people moved from a penthouse owned by the regional government toward Paseo de la Castellana. Protesters attempted to block the avenue as the demonstration continued into the night.

Palomo captioned the video, “Where is the progressive government?” and tagged it “For MariCarmen.”