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Large protests have taken place in Madrid and Valencia as demonstrators demand affordable housing, restrictions on evictions and measures to address Spain's worsening rental crisis. Police used tear gas and rubber bullets in Valencia after protesters breached a security perimeter near a real estate summit. Around 1,000 people have camped in Madrid's Puerta del Sol following the eviction of María del Carmen Abascal after living in her home for seven decades. Housing costs have sharply increased, with average rents nearly doubling over the past decade and particularly affecting young people and lower-income households.
in SpainLarge crowds marched in Madrid calling for a general strike and affordable housing. In the eastern city of Valencia, police used tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse protesters who broke through the security perimeter outside the City of Arts and Sciences, a futuristic complex by famed architect Santiago Calatrava, where a real estate summit was being held.
Images show altercations between police and protesters, with officers using batons to strike demonstrators, who threw barriers. There were no immediate reports of injuries. Around 1,000 protesters have spent the past week camped out in Madrid's Puerta del Sol, one of the capital's most popular public spaces, after María del Carmen Abascal was evicted from her home of seven decades in downtown Madrid on Sept. 23.
The protesters say they won't leave until the government, who faces a national election next year, responded with emergency measures aimed at restricting evictions, curbing property speculation and giving renters indefinite leases, among other measures.in parliament on Friday, angering protesters and even fueling rumors that Sánchez could consider an early election in hopes of rallying the left behind the housing issue. Spain is hard-hit due to small rental market The housing crunch has been simmering for years in Spain, eating into household budgets and angering voters.
While many countries have similar circumstances, Spain's poorest and its young are being particularly impacted, because they can't afford to purchase a home and are being squeezed by the country's small stock of rental properties. The average rent for Spain has almost doubled in the last 10 years. The price per square meter has risen from 8.20 euros in 2016 to 15.10 euros this year, according to the real estate website Idealista.
Spain's government said that 26% of Spaniards who rent housing spend an average of 40% of their income on rent and utilities, compared with the European Union average of 18% of renters who do so. Spain ranks near the bottom of countries in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development for government-owned rental properties, which represent less than 2% of its available stock. The EU average is 8%.
But a new wave of indignation swept Spain when Abascal, who uses a wheelchair, was carried on a stretcher from her apartment after police cordoned off the street. Televised images of the eviction prompted"I haven't managed to defend my home, but I have fought so that others can learn to fight for what's theirs," Abascal said in a video recorded from a hospital bed after the eviction.
The Spanish real estate company which had insisted on evicting her in order to rent the property at a much higher price ended up reaching an agreement for her to return to the apartment, her lawyer said, adding that Abascal was"happy.
" She has yet to be discharged from the hospital. Even with a satisfying resolution for"Maricarmen," as Abascal is now widely known, she remains the embodiment of the struggle against suffocating rental costs. Protesters have carried signs with slogans such as"Not even one more Maricarmen!
" and demonstrations have been cropping up in cities across the country. Joseph Wilson And Alicia León, The Associated Press People demonstrate to demand stronger laws to protect renters in Madrid, Spain Saturday, Oct. 3, 2026. The banner reads in Spanish: "Looking for an apartment, selling a kidney". - The Associated Press People hold up keys as a sign of protest during a demonstration demanding stronger laws to protect renters in Madrid, Spain, Saturday, Oct. 3, 2026.
- The Associated Press People demonstrate to demand stronger laws to protect renters in Madrid, Spain Saturday, Oct. 3, 2026. - The Associated Press Activists camp during a protest following the eviction last Wednesday of 87-year-old Maricarmen to demand stronger laws to protect renters at Sol square in Madrid, Spain, Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2026.
- The Associated Press Maricarmen, 87, waits at home for police to arrive before being evicted from the home where she lived in Madrid, Spain, Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2026. - The Associated Press
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