Maricarmen Abascal, 87, dies after eviction sparked protests across Spain

Maricarmen Abascal, an 87-year-old Madrid woman whose eviction from her longtime home made her a symbol of Spain’s housing crisis, has died in hospital, the Madrid Tenants’ Union said Wednesday. A cause of death was not announced.

Abascal had been hospitalized with severe anxiety and exhaustion since Sept. 23, when police and social workers removed her on a stretcher from the apartment where she had lived for more than 70 years. Her father began renting the property in 1956, and she later took over the tenancy.

According to the BBC, the building’s owner had raised her monthly rent from €500 to €2,650 after buying the property in 2018, later offering €1,650 — more than Abascal’s €1,350 pension. Three earlier eviction attempts had been blocked by courts.

Her removal prompted demonstrations across Spain amid anger over housing shortages and rising rents. Thousands marched in Madrid after her death, with further protests held in Barcelona. Trade unions announced a nationwide general strike over housing for Nov. 11.

Abascal had reached an agreement that would have allowed her to return home, but she was unable to sign it before her death because she remained hospitalized. Parliament’s rejection of emergency housing measures last week intensified protests and contributed to Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez calling an early election for Nov. 29.

Sánchez and opposition leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo offered condolences. The tenants’ union said it would honor Abascal’s appeal to “fight, keep fighting for what is yours.”