Maricarmen Abascal, 87, Dies After Eviction Sparked Spain Housing Protests

Maricarmen Abascal, an 87-year-old woman whose eviction from her Madrid home on September 23 triggered widespread housing protests across Spain, has died, Madrid's tenants' union announced on Wednesday. She had been hospitalized since police and social workers removed her by stretcher from the residence she had occupied for more than 70 years. Her removal ignited mass demonstrations, including activists camping in Puerta del Sol, one of Madrid's main squares, and demands for government action on a housing crisis marked by a shortage of homes and surging rents. The protests ultimately led Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez to call an early general election. Following news of Abascal's death, thousands marched from Puerta del Sol toward parliament, chanting: "This is not a death. It's a murder!" No cause of death was announced. The case has become a focal point for Spain's growing housing affordability crisis and the broader European debate over tenant protections and eviction policies.