The 87-year-old who became a symbol of Spain’s eviction crisis has died
By Ivana Kottasová, Pau Mosquera, Vasco Cotovio, CNN
(CNN) — Maria del Carmen Abascal, the 87-year-old woman whose eviction from her Madrid home sparked a government crisis in Spain, has died, the Madrid Tenants’ Union announced on Tuesday.
Known in Spain simply as Maricarmen, she died two weeks after being evicted from the home where she lived for more than 70 years after her rent increased from €500 ($560) to €2,650 ($2,970).
“We regret to announce that Maricarmen has passed away today. As you all know, she was evicted on September 23, and has remained in hospital ever since,” the union said Wednesday. “Although a historic agreement was reached that would have allowed her to return to her home, this solution came too late,” it added.
Maricarmen’s eviction sparked a wave of nationwide demonstrations over Spain’s housing crisis, with protesters setting up a large encampment at Puerta del Sol in Madrid.
There was an outpouring of grief and anger among protesters following news of Maricarmen’s death.
A video from the encampment showed large crowds of people holding a moment of silence and then applauding. Local media have reported that some of the protesters began marching towards the parliament.
Madrid’s Tenants Union, which was among the groups organizing the protests, claimed about 950,000 people took part in demonstrations across the country over the weekend.
On Monday, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez called an early election for late November in an apparent effort to seize the initiative following nationwide protests.
The announcement came after Sánchez’s government last week failed to secure parliamentary backing for two proposed laws aimed at tackling the housing crisis.
Posting on X after Maricarmen’s death was announced, Sánchez offered his condolences to her family and “to everyone who today feels this loss as our own.”
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