The eviction and death of an 87-year-old woman has shaken Spain
MADRID — An 87-year-old Spanish woman whose eviction from the apartment she had occupied for more than 70 years sparked nationwide protests has died in hospital, just hours before she was due to sign an agreement allowing her to return home.
María del Carmen Abascal, widely known as Maricarmen, died on Wednesday, two weeks after police removed her from her Madrid apartment on a stretcher. Images of the eviction on 23 September triggered widespread anger over Spain’s worsening housing crisis.
Abascal had lived in the apartment for 71 years. Following the building’s acquisition by an investment fund, her monthly rent reportedly increased from €500 to €1,650, an amount exceeding her €1,350 monthly pension.
The dispute eventually reached Spain’s Supreme Court, which ruled against her in March. Despite protests and attempts to prevent her removal, the eviction proceeded.
Public pressure subsequently forced a reversal, with the property company agreeing to restore her previous rental terms. However, Abascal died before she could return to the apartment she had called home for most of her life.
Her death prompted renewed demonstrations in Madrid, where protesters gathered outside parliament and in Puerta del Sol square, lighting candles and demanding stronger protection for tenants.
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez expressed condolences, describing Abascal as a symbol of the struggle facing renters across Spain.
Her lawyer, Beatriz Duro, criticised the circumstances surrounding the eviction and raised concerns about its impact on Abascal’s health. The precise medical cause of her death has not been publicly established.
The case has developed into a national political crisis. Spain’s housing costs have risen sharply, with average rents nearly doubling over the past decade. According to the Bank of Spain, the country faces a shortage of approximately 750,000 homes.
Following the failure of emergency housing legislation in parliament, Sánchez called an early general election for 29 November.
Spain’s two largest trade unions have also announced plans for a nationwide housing strike on 11 November, although the date still requires approval from other unions.
Abascal’s death has intensified demands for reforms to protect elderly and vulnerable tenants from displacement. Her case has become a rallying point for thousands of Spaniards facing rising rents and growing uncertainty about their ability to remain in their homes.
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