Maricarmen Abascal, 87, dies after eviction that sparked protests and early elections
The Madrid pensioner evicted on 23 September — a case that ignited protests and helped trigger early elections — has passed away.
Maricarmen Abascal, the 87-year-old pensioner whose forced eviction in Madrid sparked nationwide protests and precipitated early elections in Spain, has died, the Madrid Tenants' Union announced.
Abascal was carried out of the flat where she had lived for more than 70 years on a stretcher on 23 September after she could no longer afford rising rent. The episode became a symbol of the housing crisis and prompted mass demonstrations across the country.
The building's owner later offered her the chance to return on a reduced rent, but Abascal was unable to sign the new contract because she had been hospitalised.
Union statement
Commenting on her death, the Madrid Tenants' Union said: "With regret we announce that Maricarmen has died. Her case represents a turning point in the history of this country. Real estate speculation costs lives and today it has killed our colleague Maricarmen."
Her enforced removal and the images of her being carried from the flat galvanised public opinion and became a focal point for criticism of housing policy. The case fed into broader debates about rent hikes, evictions and regulation of property speculation.
The Tenants' Union in Madrid framed Abascal's death as the tragic culmination of those pressures and called renewed attention to demands for stronger tenant protections.
Photo: Jurop pres)
