Maricarmen Abascal, an 87-year-old Spanish pensioner whose eviction from her Madrid apartment sparked nationwide housing protests and triggered an early general election, died on October 7. The Madrid Tenants’ Union announced her death, noting that a recently secured agreement allowing her return home arrived too late.
Maricarmen Abascal Evicted from Madrid Home
The events that galvanized Spain began on September 23. A real estate firm drastically hiked the rent on the Madrid apartment where Abascal had lived for seven decades. When she could not meet the new terms, she was carried out of her home on a stretcher in the upscale Retiro neighborhood, greeted by protesters and supporters as emergency personnel loaded her into an ambulance.
Abascal was hospitalized with exhaustion following the ordeal. From her hospital bed, she recorded a video message reflecting on the public outcry her situation had created. I haven’t managed to defend my home, but I have fought so that others can learn to fight for what’s theirs,
she said in the recording.
Housing Protests Lead to Early November Election
Outrage over the eviction poured into the streets, drawing tens of thousands of demonstrators. Hundreds of citizens set up a protest encampment in Madrid’s iconic Puerta del Sol square, pressing the minority leftist government to implement urgent housing reforms.
The pressure coincided with legislative battles in parliament. Lawmakers rejected key decrees designed to curb evictions and limit rent pressures. That legislative defeat prompted Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez to call an early election for November 29, moving up a vote originally scheduled for 2027.
Union Condemns Avoidable Tragedy
Before Abascal’s death, negotiations led to a breakthrough. The company owning the apartment agreed to a historic settlement that would have permitted her return upon discharge from the hospital.
“Although a historic agreement was reached that would have allowed her to return to her home, this solution came too late. An absolutely avoidable situation after a torturing process.”
Madrid Tenants’ Union, via Agence France-Presse and Australian Broadcasting Corporation
Angel Victor Torres, Spain’s territorial policy minister, noted that Abascal had become a symbol of the housing pressures confronting both the elderly and young people across the country.
Nationwide Mourning and Planned Strikes
News of her passing prompted immediate memorials. Protesters gathered in Puerta del Sol to hold a minute of silence, embrace one another, and light candles. Hundreds marched toward parliament, chanting slogans and vowing that the movement would persist regardless of who holds political office.
Opposition People’s Party leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo also sent his condolences to Maricarmen’s loved ones via social media, stating that respect is the only appropriate response in the face of death.
Trade unions responded to the unfolding crisis by announcing a nationwide general strike focused on housing issues, scheduled for November 11.
“All my love to Maricarmen’s family and loved ones,”
Pedro Sánchez, Prime Minister of Spain
“A hug as well to all of us who feel this loss as our own today.”
Pedro Sánchez, Prime Minister of Spain
