Maricarmen Abascal, 87-Year-Old Whose Eviction Ignited Spain Housing Crisis, Dies

Maria del Carmen Abascal, the 87-year-old woman whose forced removal from her Madrid home became the defining image of Spain's housing crisis, died on October 7, two weeks after her eviction. The Madrid Tenants' Union announced her death, and Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez expressed his condolences shortly after. Her passing prompted protesters to gather again in Madrid to demand government action on housing affordability.

Abascal had lived in her apartment in the upscale Retiro neighborhood of Madrid for roughly 70 years before being carried out on a stretcher by her landlord on September 23. Images and video of the eviction spread rapidly and triggered mass demonstrations across Spain, with tens of thousands taking to the streets in the days that followed. Protesters also camped out for extended periods in Madrid's Puerta del Sol square.

The crisis had already set off a political chain reaction. Sanchez addressed Abascal directly at a rally, pledging a Royal Decree on housing, and his government subsequently failed to secure enough parliamentary support. On October 5, Sanchez called a snap general election for November, with the housing crisis central to the political turmoil surrounding that decision.