The images of her removal spread rapidly across Spain and Europe, transforming Abascal into the central symbol of a housing crisis that has dominated public discourse for months. Housing has been the top concern for Spanish citizens in monthly surveys by the Center for Sociological Research (CIS) since December 2024, with nearly half of respondents naming it the country’s biggest problem in May. Rents in Spain have risen by 80% in the last decade, leading to a demographic shift where the average Spaniard now leaves the family home at age 30, four years later than the European average.
The political response has been swift but fraught with parliamentary hurdles. Following a mass demonstration on Saturday where an estimated 25,000 people marched through central Madrid, a portion of the crowd returned to Puerta del Sol to set up a tent encampment. Organized by the Sindicato de Inquilinos (Tenants’ Union), the camp has become a focal point for demands aimed at Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s government. The protesters have dubbed the pending legislation the “Maricarmen decree,” demanding its approval at Tuesday’s cabinet meeting. Alicia del Río, spokesperson for the tenants’ union, stated that the group is demanding permanent tenancy agreements and automatic contract renewals to prevent landlords from terminating leases upon expiration. “If we don’t introduce open-ended tenancies in this country, the vultures will rule and this progressive government will no longer make any sense,” she said.
Prime Minister Sánchez, who was in New York when the eviction occurred, addressed the crisis directly from a Socialist Party rally in Getafe on Sunday. He pledged that the Executive is working “against the clock” to approve the royal decree-law on housing, which would suspend evictions and rent increases for a month. Sánchez appealed to parliamentary groups to “leave ideology behind and act with humanity,” citing the specific case of Abascal. However, the path to ratification is uncertain. The decree requires approval by Congress within a month to remain in force, a deadline that has proven difficult; a similar measure was rejected by lawmakers earlier this year.
The government’s coalition partners, including Sumar and the Catalan pro-independence party Junts, remain divided on the specific details of the text. Sumar and Podemos are advocating for stricter rent freezes, while the government navigates these negotiations against the backdrop of municipal and regional elections due in eight months. Sánchez has also directed sharp criticism at the opposition, accusing the Popular Party (PP) and Vox of rejecting prior housing measures that could have prevented the eviction. He specifically targeted Isabel Díaz Ayuso, president of the Community of Madrid, accusing her administration of lacking the resources to protect vulnerable residents while simultaneously engaging in controversial real estate purchases, such as a penthouse valued at over six million euros. Sánchez characterized the opposition’s stance as “toxic,” contrasting it with the “humanity” he claimed was necessary to address the crisis.
While the current encampment in Puerta del Sol echoes the 2011 “15-M” Indignados movement that occupied the same square, analysts note the new protest has a more concrete goal and deadline. The success of the movement hinges on whether the cabinet approves the decree on Tuesday and whether Congress can unite across ideological lines to ratify it. For now, the camp in Sol remains occupied, with organizers insisting it will stay until the government acts, turning the historic square once again into a stage for Spain’s most pressing social conflict.
