Elderly Woman Evicted from Madrid Apartment to Return Home After Solidarity Protests

An elderly woman who was evicted from the Madrid apartment she lived most of her life in and whose case sparked widespread solidarity protests across Spain, is going to be able to return home, her lawyer said on Monday.

Video last week showed Maria del Carmen Abascal, known by her nickname Maricarmen, being taken out of the building on a stretcher and driven away in an ambulance.

Maricarmen, who is 87 years old, is a wheelchair user and a resident of the Spanish capital's Retiro neighborhood.

Her dramatic eviction touched a nerve among Spaniards who took the case to heart to bring one of the country's most pressing problems to the center of attention: the housing crisis.

Rising prices and a shortage of homes have pushed people out of the market in Europe's fourth-largest economy, with the weekend's protest having put pressure on Spain's left-wing government led by Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez.

On Saturday, tens of thousands of people marched through the streets of the Spanish capital, with many having then pitched tents in Madrid's historic Puerta del Sol plaza at the end of the night. More people, including multigenerational families, joined Sunday.

Maricarmen to return home because of 'social mobilization,' lawyer says

"If this agreement we have reached is signed, it will obviously be a better and happier outcome for everyone," Abascal's lawyer Beatriz Duro told reporters, calling it "a result of the social mobilization."

"Hopefully this agreement, this different way of ending this type of situation, which is unfortunately experienced every day in this country, helps to change the paradigm when it comes to housing in general," Duro said.

Spanish housing bill Tuesday falls short of protester demands

Sanchez, who last week called the eviction a "social tragedy," is hoping to secure backing for a long-delayed housing bill at Tuesday's meeting of Spain's Council of Ministers.

But according to El Pais, the legislation put forth Tuesday falls short of the demands of protesters who are asking for tougher action against abusive landlords and a freeze on rents until the housing crisis is resolved.

Edited by: Elizabeth Schumacher