Maricarmen Abascal, the 87-year-old pensioner whose forcible eviction from her Madrid apartment ignited nationwide protests over Spain’s housing crisis, has died, according to the Madrid Tenants’ Union.
Abascal was removed on a stretcher from the apartment she had lived in for more than 70 years on September 23 after she was unable to afford rent increases. The company that owned the flat later offered to allow her to return at a lower rate, but she was unable to sign an agreement because she had been admitted to hospital.
“We regret to announce that Maricarmen passed away today,” the Madrid Tenants’ Union said in a statement. “Speculation costs lives, and today rentierism has finished killing our colleague Maricarmen.”
The Eviction
Abascal’s father first rented the property in 1956. She continued as the tenant after her parents died, during which time there was a cap on the rent. However, Urbagestión, which bought the property in 2018, increased the rent from €500 per month to €2,650.
The company later offered to reduce this to €1,650 — still €300 more than Abascal’s monthly pension. Three previous attempts to evict her were blocked by the courts.
The Aftermath
Abascal’s death was received in Puerta del Sol — the Madrid square where thousands have been camping since her eviction — with a collective gasp followed by a minute of silence. Dozens of candles were lit, and messages on cardboard banners read “it’s not a death, it’s a killing” and “Mari Carmen, the grandmother of the whole country.”
A few hundred people marched from Puerta del Sol to the Spanish Congress, chanting “We will not tolerate a single eviction more.” After a couple of hours, the chants near Congress gave way to another minute of silence, then a collective shout of “murderers.”
The Political Fallout
Anger over Abascal’s eviction led to protests and put pressure on the coalition government to approve emergency housing legislation — but it was rejected in Congress last week. That led to further protests, with tens of thousands taking to the streets across Spain.
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has called early elections for November 29 following the rejection of his housing decrees. Spain’s two largest trade unions, CCOO and UGT, have announced a 24-hour general strike for November 11 over housing and wages.
In a video recorded from her hospital bed, Abascal said: “I haven’t managed to defend my home, but I have fought so that others can learn to fight for what’s theirs.”
The Bottom Line
Maricarmen Abascal, the 87-year-old pensioner whose eviction sparked nationwide protests in Spain, has died. Her case became a symbol of Spain’s housing crisis. The government’s emergency housing measures were rejected in Congress, prompting early elections. Unions have called a general strike for November 11.
My Opinion
Maricarmen Abascal lived in her Madrid apartment for more than 70 years. Her father rented it in 1956. She stayed after her parents died. Then a vulture fund bought the building, raised the rent from €500 to €2,650, and had an 87-year-old woman carried out on a stretcher. She died weeks later.
Her government’s response was to propose emergency housing measures. Congress rejected them. Now Spain is heading to early elections, and the unions have called a general strike. Abascal’s death has done what years of activism could not: it has forced the political establishment to confront the crisis.
But it should not have taken a death to get here. The signs were everywhere. The Bank of Spain says the country is short 700,000 homes. Rents rose 8.5% last year. Madrid alone saw a 9.7% increase. The housing crisis was a choice made by politicians who preferred to protect the interests of investment funds over the lives of the people who live in their buildings.
Abascal said it herself from her hospital bed: “I haven’t managed to defend my home, but I have fought so that others can learn to fight for what’s theirs.” She did not die in vain. But she should not have died at all. In a country with empty homes and billions in property speculation, no one should be evicted from the place they have lived for seven decades. Not at 87 and certainly not at any age.
