Evicted Madrid tenant Maricarmen Abascal dies at 87 after triggering Spanish housing protests

Hospitalization following Retiro eviction

Maricarmen Abascal, the 87-year-old woman whose eviction sparked widespread housing protests across Spain, died on Wednesday at Hospital Gregorio Marañón in Madrid. She had been admitted to the hospital on September 23 after judicial officers and law enforcement removed her on a stretcher from her home on Calle Alcalde Sainz de Baranda in the Retiro district. Abascal had lived in that residence for 70 years and had spent seven years fighting legal proceedings following a steep rent increase imposed by the property owner.

The Madrid tenants union, Sindicato de Inquilinas, announced her death on Wednesday evening. The organization explained that an agreement permitting Abascal to return to her apartment had recently been finalized between the parties, but noted that the resolution arrived too late after her health deteriorated under the stress of the eviction process.

Political crisis and early elections

Abascal's eviction on live television became a catalyst for widespread public anger regarding rental costs and property speculation across Spain. Demonstrators organized tent encampments in central locations such as Madrid's Puerta del Sol and held rallies in numerous cities. On Wednesday, Spanish trade unions announced a nationwide general strike over housing policy scheduled for November 11.

In response to the unrest, the minority left-wing government drafted emergency decrees aimed at restricting evictions and guaranteeing the automatic renewal of rental leases. After parliament voted down those measures last week, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez dissolved the legislature and called an early general election for November 29. Sánchez sought to direct national political focus toward housing affordability as his administration faced scrutiny over migration in Ceuta and judicial investigations involving Socialist Party figures.

Reactions across Spanish politics

Political figures and municipal leaders across Spain responded immediately to news of Abascal's passing. The Socialist Party stated that her struggle against speculation would not be in vain, while Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez posted his condolences online.

A hug as well to all of us who feel this loss as our own today.

Catalan regional president Salvador Illa also lamented the outcome of the eviction on social media.

The death of Maricarmen hits us. No one can remain indifferent.

Podemos secretary general Ione Belarra condemned property funds, administrative agencies, and the judicial system, characterizing the eviction as an act that caused Abascal's death. In Madrid, the municipal party Más Madrid requested a minute of silence in her memory ahead of the Cibeles city council plenary session on Thursday. Territorial Policy Minister Ángel Víctor Torres stated that Abascal had come to represent families, young people, and elderly pensioners facing difficulties in retaining their homes.

Movement mobilizes for planned general strike

Broadcaster El Gran Wyoming opened the television programme El Intermedio by addressing those responsible for the eviction, questioning whether forcing an elderly resident out had been justified. The Madrid tenants union pledged to maintain demonstrations, pointing to Abascal's persistence as an example for tenants nationwide.

Now, following her passing, we are left with the example of the fight she waged and the legacy Maricarmen has left behind. And, above all, we will honor what she always asked of us: 'Fight, keep fighting for what is yours.'

Activists across Spain continue to display signs reading that they are all Maricarmen as encampments persist. Housing affordability remains at the forefront of the national agenda leading toward the November 11 general strike and the November 29 snap election.