Spain mourns Maricarmen Abascal, whose eviction sparked housing protests

Maricarmen Abascal, an 87-year-old Madrid resident, died in a hospital after being evicted from the home she had lived in her entire life. The Madrid pensioner became a symbol of Spain's housing struggle following her eviction on September 23rd. Despite an agreement reached with mediation from the Madrid City Council, Maricarmen remained in the hospital since the eviction and did not return to her flat in the Retiro district.

Her case drew widespread attention and sparked national outrage, galvanizing housing campaigners. The eviction was the fourth attempt, following protests by hundreds of people trying to prevent it. Images of her removal from the building sparked anger across Spain and highlighted the complex legal dispute over her decades-old tenancy.

The Madrid Tenants' Union described Maricarmen's experience as "torturous" and "completely avoidable," emphasizing the personal cost of the public debate over housing rights. Her fight for her lifelong home became a cause far beyond her own front door, leaving housing campaigners mourning her loss.