87-Year-Old Woman’s Death After Eviction Sparks Protests in Spain

The recent death of 87-year-old María del Carmen Abascal, affectionately known as “Maricarmen,” has stirred a political crisis in Spain over rising housing costs. Her passing followed her eviction from a Madrid apartment where she had lived for seventy years. This situation has intensified demonstrations demanding better housing policies.

Abascal died after being hospitalized shortly after her eviction. The incident occurred just days after Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez announced an early election scheduled for November 29. His decision followed unsuccessful attempts to pass emergency housing legislation through Parliament, putting additional pressure on the Socialist Party to address public grievances about housing affordability.

The controversy has highlighted significant public discontent with rental policies.

Abascal’s eviction on September 23 became a focal point for national outrage after images circulated showing her, in her wheelchair, being removed from her home on a stretcher. Police blocked the area and dispersed protesters trying to prevent the eviction. These images quickly turned Abascal into a symbol for Spain’s housing crisis and led to protests in Madrid and other cities.

The real estate company responsible for the eviction reportedly aimed to rent the apartment at a higher rate. Faced with increasing criticism, the company granted Abascal permission to return, but she died before relocating. Her cause of death remains undisclosed.

Following her death, protests erupted around Spain’s Parliament and in Madrid’s Puerta del Sol square, where participants observed a moment of silence and chanted, “Maricarmen lives, the fight goes on!”

In response, Prime Minister Sánchez extended condolences on social media, expressing solidarity with Abascal’s loved ones. Opposition leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo also mourned the loss and called for respectful discourse, avoiding political exploitation of the tragedy.

Abascal’s case has energized housing activists, pushing for reforms in Spain’s rental market just as the nation prepares for the impending elections.