MADRID — Protesters camping in Madrid’s most iconic square woke up from their third night in the open to await details from the Spanish government on what it is doing to address a crisis that has brought tens of thousands of people onto the streets in recent days.
The protests and encampment in Puerto del Sol followed the eviction of María del Carmen Abascal, 87, who was carried on a stretcher from the apartment where she had lived for seven decades.
Rising costs and housing shortages are excluding many Spaniards from the housing market, despite strong economic growth in Europe’s fourth-largest economy. Protesters are calling for stronger protections for tenants, measures to combat fraud and a ban on evictions when alternative housing does not exist.
Since the camp was set up on Saturday, the number of tents in the central square has increased. Smaller protest encampments have sprung up in other cities, from Seville and Malaga in the south to Santiago de Compostela in the north and Palma de Mallorca in the tourist-heavy Balearic Islands, drawing international attention to a long-standing problem.
Asked about the situation Monday, Pope Leo XIV said it underscored the need for political leaders to find solutions to the housing crisis affecting many communities.
“Perhaps we need to insist that political leaders and authorities find a solution to this problem, because the problem is obviously increasing and often we only react in an emergency,” he said, after admitting he was not familiar with this case. “But we have to try to see what the systemic cause of the problem is and how to fix it.”
Spain’s left-wing coalition government, led by Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, is expected to present its decree at a news conference at 4 p.m. ET.
Spain has had a housing law since 2023 that regulates rents and protects tenants, while allowing rent caps in high-demand areas at the request of local governments.
Abascal, hospitalized since she was transported from her apartment on Wednesday, will be able to return home following a preliminary agreement reached Monday evening with the company that owns the building located in the upscale Retiro district. The proposal limits her rent to 30% of her income, meaning she will pay no more than the 500 euros ($570) a month she previously paid, her lawyer, Beatriz Duro, told reporters on Tuesday.
Spanish media reported that Abascal’s father first rented the property in 1956 and that she remained a tenant after her parents died, during which time there was a rent cap. The building changed ownership in 2018 and Abascal was offered the chance to buy the apartment, but he could not afford it, according to the Madrid Tenants Union, which organized Saturday’s protest.
Urbagestión, an investment fund that later bought the home, increased its monthly rent by 500 euros ($570) to 2,650 euros. He then lowered the rent to 1,650 euros, which Abascal still could not pay with his pension, the union said.
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