Maricarmen Abascal, 87, whose Madrid eviction sparked housing protests, dies in hospital

María del Carmen Abascal, known as Maricarmen, died in hospital on Wednesday. She was 87.

She was evicted on 23 September from the Madrid apartment where she had lived for about seven decades. She used a wheelchair, was in fragile health and was carried out on a stretcher. She was hospitalised afterwards. She had fended off three earlier eviction attempts. The property company later agreed or offered to let her return, but she died before she could do so.

Her eviction triggered protests in Madrid and other Spanish cities. It made her a symbol of Spain's housing crisis. After her death, protesters at a camp in Madrid's Puerta del Sol square held a minute of silence. Protesters also gathered outside the Congress of Deputies.

The reports reviewed by Vocemundi do not include her cause of death. They also do not include a statement from the property company, Urbagestión.

According to the BBC, Urbagestión bought the building in 2018 and raised the rent from €500 to €2,650 a month. It later offered €1,650, which the BBC says was €300 more than her monthly pension.

Congress rejected the government's emergency housing measures the week before her death. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez then called a snap general election for 29 November. Unions have announced a general strike for November; the BBC gives the date as 11 November. The Guardian reported that about 20,000 people marched in central Madrid on Thursday evening in her memory. It does not say who made that estimate.

What is disputed

• The Guardian says the firm sought a 230% rent increase. This does not match the BBC's figures.
• The BBC says she could not sign a return agreement because she was in hospital. NPR quotes a Madrid Tenants' Union statement as saying "a historic agreement was reached".

What each side says

The Madrid Tenants' Union blames rent profiteering. The BBC quoted spokeswoman Alicia del Río as saying: "Speculation costs lives, and today rent profiteering has finished killing our colleague Maricarmen."

Sánchez wrote on X: "All my love to Maricarmen's family and loved ones." According to the BBC, he has said he needs "a broader progressive majority" to push through housing reforms.

People's Party (PP) leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo offered condolences. He urged that her death not be used for political purposes. A day later, according to The Guardian, he accused the government of trying to "manipulate the emotions of the Spanish people". Opposition parties say Sánchez had eight years in office to address housing.

According to The Guardian, at least two far-right figures, including a Vox MEP, sought to cast doubt on the cause of her death. The reports do not describe any official or medical findings on whether the eviction contributed to her death.

Analysis

Abascal's death comes weeks before a snap election in which housing has become a central issue. Supporters of stronger tenant protections may point to her case as evidence that change is needed. Opponents argue that market intervention could reduce rental supply and raise prices. The general strike called for November and the redrafted housing package the government is reportedly pursuing could keep the issue prominent. According to the BBC, most polls suggest the PP is likely to become the largest party but would be expected to need Vox's support to govern. Whether her case affects how people vote is not yet clear.

Produced by the Vocemundi newsroom with AI assistance.