Spain housing protests grow after 87-year-old evicted; PM Sanchez pledges new rental law

Tens of thousands marched in Madrid on 26 September 2026 after the police eviction of 87-year-old Maricarmen Abascal, who was carried out of her lifelong apartment on a stretcher after a real estate firm raised her rent by 275 percent to €2,650 per month. Protest organisers claimed over 300,000 participants while authorities counted 25,000; hundreds then set up a tent camp in Puerta del Sol vowing to remain until housing conditions improve. Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez pledged to introduce legislation including automatic renewal of rental contracts and further restrictions on evictions, but his minority government previously failed to pass a similar housing bill earlier in 2026.