Tens of thousands protest against Spain's housing crisis following eviction of 87-year-old woman

Tens of thousands of people have taken to the streets of Spanish cities in protest at the country's housing crisis in the wake of the forcible eviction of 87-year-old Maricarmen Abascal.

The demonstrations also follow the failure of the government to pass emergency legislation to help renters.

Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez had sought to ban evictions of vulnerable tenants until 2030, impose a two-year rent freeze extension for existing leases and introduce tighter rules for short-term rentals.

The opposition argued that the proposals, which were rejected in parliament on Friday, would exacerbate matters by reducing housing supply.

On Saturday, demonstrators demanded action on housing, and some called for a general strike.

"It's a shame," said Nando de Anguulo, 26, who joined the protest in ​Madrid.

"It only proves that it is ⁠us, the people, who have to ⁠adapt to the political parties, and not the politicians to what the people ‌want, and this can't go on like that."

Mr Sanchez may call a snap election for November ‌after the legislation failed to pass, Spanish media reported after his legislation was struck down.

However, Mr Sanchez's office refused to comment on ⁠the reports.

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In Valencia, demonstrators clashed with police, who fired rubber bullets and tear gas to break up protests.

Around 30 protesters got inside the ⁠City of Arts and Sciences, a landmark cultural building in the city, before they were removed by police.

Other ⁠demonstrations in 50 Spanish cities were ​peaceful.

About 70,000 protesters took part in the demonstration ​in Madrid, the Spanish government said on Saturday.

Ms Abascal was removed from her home in Madrid last month after being given just 30 minutes to leave the property with only essential belongings.

The apartment, in the capital's affluent Retiro neighbourhood, had been acquired by an investment fund that wanted to sharply increase her rent.

Ms Abascal, a wheelchair user, was taken to hospital on a stretcher following her eviction. She has since been told she can return to the apartment she had lived in for decades, her lawyer Beatriz Duro said.

UrbaGestion, the fund that owns Ms Abascal's apartment, offered her a preliminary agreement on Monday that would allow her to return home if she agrees to its terms.

"She should never have been forced to leave," Ms Duro told reporters. "I hope this case serves to provide a collective response to the housing crisis."

Ms Duro also criticised UrbaGestion for refusing, until recently, to negotiate or hold talks.

(c) Sky News 2026: Tens of thousands protest against Spain's housing crisis following eviction of 87-year-old wom