Spanish pensioner whose eviction sparked nationwide protests dies, union says

What the report says

Maricarmen Abascal, an 87-year-old woman whose eviction became a powerful symbol of Spain’s housing crisis, has died, according to Madrid’s tenants union. BBC World News reported that Abascal was removed from her apartment in Madrid on 23 September after more than 70 years in the home, following rent increases she could not afford. Her case drew wide attention because it highlighted sharply rising housing costs, long-term tenants’ vulnerability and tensions over how the rental market is regulated.

According to the BBC, the flat had been in her family since 1956, when her father first rented it. The property was later bought by Urbagestión in 2018, and the rent reportedly rose from €500 a month to €2,650 before the company later offered a lower figure. Abascal had been hospitalized by the time a possible agreement to let her return emerged. The tenants union said her situation had become a “turning point” and argued that the outcome could have been avoided.

Her eviction helped fuel nationwide protests and pressure on Spain’s coalition government to introduce emergency housing measures. Those proposals were rejected in Congress last week, contributing to further demonstrations and a general strike call by unions for 11 November. The controversy also fed into broader political instability, with Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez later calling early elections. Demonstrators gathered in Madrid’s Puerta del Sol after news of Abascal’s death, while Sánchez offered condolences to her family and to others affected by the loss.