Maricarmen Abascal, 87, dies after eviction that ignited Spain's housing revolt

Maricarmen Abascal, the 87-year-old Spanish pensioner whose forced removal from her Madrid apartment became a rallying point for protesters across the country, has died, according to the Madrid Tenants' Union. The union announced her death on Wednesday, describing her as a figure whose ordeal had altered the course of Spanish politics.

Abascal was removed on a stretcher from the flat she had called home for more than seven decades on 23 September, after she could no longer keep up with rent increases imposed by the property's owner. She was 87 years old at the time of her eviction, and had lived in the apartment since childhood.

Her father originally rented the property in 1956, and she took over the tenancy after her parents died. For much of that period, the rent was subject to a government cap that kept it affordable for the family. That arrangement changed after Urbagestión, a company that acquired the building in 2018, raised the monthly rent from €500 (£428; $572) to €2,650 (£2,280; $3,020).

The company subsequently proposed lowering the rent to €1,650, but that figure still exceeded Abascal's monthly pension by roughly €300. Three earlier attempts to evict her had been blocked by the courts, and her case drew growing attention from Spanish media as her legal options narrowed.

The Madrid Tenants' Union said in a statement that it regretted to announce that Abascal had passed away, and that her situation represented a turning point in the history of the country. Union spokesperson Alicia del Río said speculation costs lives, and that rentierism had finished killing their colleague Maricarmen, while adding that her memory would live on with the union.

The union also pointed to the timing of the political response, noting that while a historic agreement had been reached that would have allowed Abascal to return to her home, the solution arrived too late. It called the situation absolutely avoidable after what it described as a torturing process, and said the cost of reaching this point had been too high. Above all, the union said it would fulfil what Abascal had always asked of it: to fight and keep fighting for what is yours.

In a video recorded from her hospital bed after the eviction, Abascal said she had not managed to defend her home, but that she had fought so that others could learn to fight for what was theirs. The property company had offered to let her return at a lower rate, but she was unable to sign any agreement because she had been admitted to hospital, where she remained until her death.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez paid tribute to Abascal on Wednesday, saying all his love went to her family and loved ones, and offering a hug to everyone who felt the loss as their own. Sánchez leads a leftist coalition that does not command a majority in parliament, and he has faced mounting pressure over housing, the cost of living, immigration and corruption scandals linked to his party.

Abascal's eviction became a symbol of Spain's broader housing crisis, in which rents in major cities have risen far faster than wages and pensions. Anger over her case fuelled demonstrations, and the outcry pushed the coalition government to propose emergency housing legislation. That bill was rejected in Congress last week, a defeat that triggered further protests.

Over the weekend, tens of thousands of people took to the streets in cities across Spain to demand housing reforms, in one of the largest waves of demonstrations the country has seen in recent years. The political right argued that the government's attempt to intervene in the housing market would have reduced the number of homes available for rent and pushed prices even higher, a position that helped sink the legislation.

On Monday, Sánchez responded to the deadlock by calling an early general election for 29 November. He said he needed a broader progressive majority capable of overcoming what he called the resistance of the elites in order to pass reforms. Most opinion polls suggest the conservatives are likely to emerge as the largest party, though they would probably need the support of the hard-right Vox party to form a government.

On Wednesday, unions called a general strike for 11 November, demanding housing reforms. Following the announcement of Abascal's death, protesters gathered at Puerta del Sol, one of Madrid's main squares, which has served as a protest encampment for the past two weeks. Photographs showed demonstrators lighting candles and holding posters of Maricarmen at the housing protest camp on Wednesday evening, with many embracing one another in grief.

Abascal's case had already reshaped the national conversation before her death, elevating housing from a local grievance to a central electoral issue. Her eviction, carried out despite three prior court interventions, exposed tensions between property rights, rental speculation and the adequacy of Spain's social safety net for elderly tenants on fixed incomes.

The union's framing of her death as a consequence of speculation is likely to intensify pressure on parties across the political spectrum ahead of the November vote. For Sánchez, the episode has become both a symbol of the affordability crisis and a direct cause of the snap election he now must fight, with his housing agenda rejected by a Congress in which his coalition lacks a majority.

For the conservatives and Vox, the death presents a difficult moment, as they must defend their opposition to market intervention while voters head to the polls amid anger over rents. The general strike called for 11 November will test whether the movement sparked by Abascal's eviction can sustain its momentum through the campaign.

Abascal's own words, recorded from her hospital bed, are likely to endure as the movement's refrain. She said she had not managed to defend her home, but had fought so that others could learn to fight for what was theirs. The Madrid Tenants' Union said it would carry that instruction forward, vowing to keep fighting for what is yours.