Hundreds of thousands took the streets of Madrid Saturday to demand eviction protections amid Spain’s housing crisis The protest took place under the banner of “Not one more Maricarmen,” sparked by the eviction of 87-year-old Maricarmen Abascal from the apartment she had called home for 71 years. Madrid police forcibly evicted Abascal from her apartment last Wednesday after years of legal battles, entering her building and carrying her out on a stretcher before she was transported to the hospital. Abascal was from her residence in Madrid’s Retiro district on Wednesday after years of legal battles. Police entered the building and carried her out on a stretcher before she was transported to a hospital. The conflict revolved around a decades-old rent-controlled lease originally signed by Abascal’s father in 1956, which was later inherited by her mother and eventually by Abascal herself. The current landlord moved to end the agreement with Spain’s Supreme Court ultimately siding with the property owner. The case sparked outrage across the country and reignited demands for tougher safeguards for at-risk tenants.

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