There were protests in 50 cities in Spain today, bringing hundreds of thousands of people out into the street to protest against the chronic housing crisis in the country. Organizers put the numbers in Madrid at 500,000, although the police estimate was significantly lower. More than 100,000 protested in Barcelona.

The Guardian explained: “The long-simmering anger at soaring housing costs boiled over late last month, when 87-year-old Maricarmen Abascal, who uses a wheelchair, was evicted from the home she had lived in for 70 years. The octogenarian said she was unable to afford the 230% rent hike demanded by the investment fund that bought her apartment.”

Such cruel evictions have become commonplace in Spain over recent years, contributing to the seething anger in the population.

The government of Pedro Sánchez quickly presented two emergency measures to the parliament on Oct. 2, including a ban on evictions until 2030 and provisions to improve access to housing. Sánchez told the legislators on his social media: “You’re with the social majority or with speculators.”

The country got their answer, when both measures were voted down by a coalition of the right-wing PP and Vox parties, along with the Catalan pro-separatist party Junts. This despite the fact that a poll taken that same day reported that two-thirds of Spaniards support government intervention to lower housing prices.

The next day saw hundreds of thousands of angry protestors take to the streets.

As the Guardian reported, “rents have surged 80% within a decade and the cost of homes climbed by 63%.... Earlier this year, the Youth Council of Spain said the average rent in Spain had climbed to €1,176 ($1,323) a month—an amount equivalent to 98.7% of the average salary for under-30s.”

A Spanish reporter asked Pope Leo XIV about the evicted woman’s case on his flight back to Rome from France last Monday (Sept. 28). The Pope said that while he was not familiar with the specific case, the question that needs to be asked is, “How is it possible for something like this to happen? What is wrong with a system that allows an elderly woman, who is also disabled or facing some difficulty, to be evicted from her home?” The worsening housing shortage faced by many countries is a major challenge which needs an answer from political leaders and authorities, not only when an emergency arises. “We must look closely at the systemic causes of this problem and determine how to help,” he urged.