Spain: 87-year-old evicted elderly woman can return home, but housing protest expands

Merikerman Abascal, an 87-year-old woman evicted from her Madrid apartment after an investment fund raised her rent from €500 to €2,650, will be allowed to return home following public pressure. The government announced a "Merikerman Decree" freezing evictions until 2030, but lacks a parliamentary majority. Protest encampments have sprung up across Spain.

Merikerman Abascal, an 87-year-old woman forcibly evicted from her Madrid apartment last week, will be allowed to return home following immense public pressure. Abascal was removed on a stretcher on Wednesday, September 23, after the investment fund "Urbagestión" raised her rent from €500 per month to €2,650. The eviction images sparked outrage across Spain and led to a massive protest on Saturday in Madrid's Puerta del Sol square, where hundreds of protesters set up an encampment. Following the pressure, the fund offered a preliminary agreement allowing Abascal to return to her apartment for a payment of about €500 per month (roughly 30% of her pension) for eight years. Meanwhile, the Spanish government led by Pedro Sánchez announced the "Merikerman Decree" — a bill including a ban on tenant evictions until 2030, stricter regulation of short-term rentals, and the removal of speculative hedge funds from the housing market. However, the government lacks a parliamentary majority, and the Catalan party "Junts," whose votes are essential, has expressed reservations and demands protection for small landlords. Protest encampments have emerged in other Spanish cities, from Seville and Málaga in the south to Santiago de Compostela in the north and Palma de Mallorca. Even Pope Leo XIV addressed the issue, calling on political leaders to find solutions to the housing crisis.