Hundreds of demonstrators and activists set up tents in Madrid’s Puerta del Sol on Saturday evening, protesting Abascal’s eviction and demanding stronger rights for tenants. The camp followed a march that drew tens of thousands onto the capital’s streets. The square has a history as a protest hub: in 2011 it was occupied by the Indignados movement, which protested austerity and corruption in the aftermath of the 2008 crisis.
Abascal’s case sparked widespread anger after she was removed on Wednesday from the home where she had lived for 70 years. Images of the eviction circulated widely and put Spain’s housing crisis back in focus ahead of parliamentary elections scheduled for 2027. The report gives her age inconsistently, as both 80 and 87. The tenants’ union says a property company bought the flat and raised the rent by 275% to 2,650 euros.
Spain’s tenants’ union called on the public to join what it described as a spontaneous camp. Sergio, a 28-year-old worker at a non-governmental organisation, told AFP that the night in the tent had been peaceful and hopeful. He spent it with two other people discussing what they could do, and had also been present at Abascal’s eviction on Wednesday. He said the group would stay as long as necessary, describing the rental situation as already critical.
Over the past decade, average rent in Spain has nearly doubled, reaching 15.1 euros per square metre in August, according to property portal Idealista. The average purchase price is now 2,355 euros per square metre, more than 50% above its level a decade ago, official figures show. Short-term tourist lets, including Airbnb, and investment funds are blamed for driving up prices and reducing supply. Madrid is particularly affected: it topped Barnes’ ranking of cities favoured for luxury property in 2025 and 2026, while its social-housing stock is so limited that some units are allocated by lottery.
The government of Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez is expected to consider a package dubbed the “Maricarmen decree” at its next cabinet meeting. It would provide for automatic renewal of rental contracts and tighter restrictions on evictions. Passage is uncertain because Sánchez’s government lacks a parliamentary majority; a similar bill was rejected earlier this year.