Photos: Protests erupt after 87-year-old evicted woman dies in Madrid

What the report says

The death of Maria del Carmen Abascal, an 87-year-old Madrid resident whose eviction drew national attention, has deepened Spain’s housing debate and added to political tensions, according to Al Jazeera. Abascal, widely known as “Maricarmen,” died in hospital on Wednesday after weeks of public anger over her removal from the apartment where she had lived for seven decades. The eviction, carried out so the property could be re-let at a higher rent, was captured in widely circulated images and became a symbol of the country’s affordability crisis.

Following her death, protesters gathered in Madrid’s Puerta del Sol and near parliament, chanting slogans in support of renters and demanding action on housing. Al Jazeera reported that demonstrations spread beyond the capital after the case resonated with people frustrated by rising rents and evictions. Her lawyer and housing activists described the episode as a harsh example of the human cost of the crisis, while some groups said a later agreement allowing her to return home came too late.

Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and opposition leader Alberto Nunez Feijoo both offered condolences, though Feijoo warned against using the death for political advantage. The issue has become a major campaign topic ahead of early elections called for November 29, and trade unions have announced a planned nationwide strike over housing for November 11. Al Jazeera also noted broader context: Spain faces a large housing shortage, and rent levels have risen sharply over the past decade.