87-year-old Madrid woman whose eviction sparked housing protests dies
Maricarmen Abascal, an 87-year-old Madrid resident whose eviction from her longtime home triggered nationwide protests over Spain’s housing crisis, has died, reports a Qazinform News Agency correspondent.
Abascal was evicted on September 23 from the apartment where she had lived for 71 years. She was removed from the property on a stretcher, with the case quickly becoming a symbol of growing concerns over housing affordability and tenant protections in Spain.
“We regret to announce that Maricarmen passed away today,” the Madrid Tenants’ Union said in its official post on X, describing her case as “a turning point in the history of this country.”
The union said an agreement had later been reached that would have allowed Abascal to return to her home, but that the solution came too late.
“Although a historic agreement was reached that would have allowed her to return home, this solution came too late,” the union said.
Her case intensified nationwide protests, including demonstrations in Madrid’s Puerta del Sol, while pressure mounted on the government to introduce stronger protections against evictions and measures to make rental housing more affordable.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez expressed condolences following her death.
“All my love to Maricarmen’s family and loved ones,” Sanchez said in a post on X. “A hug as well to all of us who feel this loss as our own today. Rest in peace.”
The government has made housing a central political issue. On September 29, Spain’s Council of Ministers approved emergency measures aimed at preventing evictions, increasing affordable housing and providing greater stability for tenants.
“We cannot look the other way when this happens,” Housing Minister Isabel Rodríguez said, according to the Spanish Government’s official statement.
Sánchez has called an early general election for November 29 after Parliament rejected emergency housing measures. Housing is expected to remain one of the central issues of the campaign.
Earlier, Qazinform News Agency reported that Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has announced an early general election for November 29 after parliament rejected his government’s emergency housing measures amid nationwide protests.