Stories
Maricarmen, 87-Year-Old Woman Whose Eviction Shocked Spain, Passes Away in Hospital
- •María del Carmen Abascal, an 87-year-old wheelchair user, passed away in the hospital on Wednesday following a national uproar over her eviction.
- •Her forced removal from her Madrid apartment on September 23 sparked nationwide protests and became a powerful symbol of Spain's housing affordability crisis.
- •Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and Housing Minister Isabel Rodríguez expressed public condolences on social media following the news of her death.
- •Although public pressure forced the real estate company to allow her return, housing activists stated that the resolution came too late.
- •Her plight galvanized a social movement, leading to announced general strikes and intensifying political pressure on government leaders.
Key Questions Answered
María del Carmen Abascal, the 87-year-old pensioner whose eviction from her Madrid home sparked widespread outrage, died in the hospital on Wednesday. Her lawyer, Beatriz Duro, confirmed her death but did not disclose the specific cause.
Maricarmen was carried out of her longtime Madrid apartment on a stretcher on September 23 after her rent skyrocketed following a 2018 property acquisition. Televised images of the frail, wheelchair-using 87-year-old being evicted triggered massive public indignation and nationwide housing protests.
Her plight intensified political pressure and galvanized a social movement, prompting unions to call a general strike. After his emergency housing measures failed in Parliament, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez called a snap general election for November 29.
