Madrid mourns evicted retiree, 'icon' of Spain housing protests

Tens of thousands of people marched through Madrid to pay tribute to Maricarmen Abascal, an 87-year-old Spanish pensioner whose eviction sparked national housing protests. According to The Local Spain and France 24, the protests ultimately led to the calling of early elections.

Abascal, who used a wheelchair, had lived in her apartment for 70 years before being evicted after the real estate company that owned the flat drastically hiked the rent, as reported by the Japan Times and Malay Mail. She died in hospital two weeks after her eviction.

The march began at the Puerta del Sol square, where an improvised shrine of candles, flowers, and placards had been set up, and proceeded to Abascal's former home in the Retiro district, as per the Malay Mail. The protests have made housing a central issue in the upcoming general election, with many demonstrators calling for change, as noted by RFI English.

Brief written by urgent.news from The Local Spain, France 24, Malay Mail, RFI English, Japan Times — 5 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.