Spanish pensioner whose eviction sparked national housing protests dies
Spanish pensioner Maricarmen Abascal, whose eviction triggered widespread protests and early elections in Spain, has died at 87.
Maricarmen Abascal, the 87-year-old Spanish pensioner whose eviction sparked mass demonstrations and a political crisis across Spain, has died in a Madrid hospital, according to the local tenants' union.
Abascal was forcibly removed on a stretcher from her home in Madrid's Retiro neighborhood in late September after being unable to pay sharp rent increases imposed by the property's new owners. She had lived in the apartment for over seven decades.
Her removal, broadcast live on television, triggered nationwide protests over housing affordability and an escalating political dispute that ultimately led Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez to call a snap election. The Madrid tenants' union, which assisted Abascal during her multi-year legal fight against eviction, announced her death on Wednesday.
Sources: ANSA, BBC News, France24, NRK, SVT
Sources
- NRK — Maricarmen (87) som utløste spanske boligprotester er død
- France24 — Evicted pensioner Maricarmen Abascal, heart of Spain's housing protests, dies
- SVT — Vräkningen slutade med nyval i Spanien – nu är Maricarmen död
- ANSA — È morta Maricarmen, il volto delle proteste per il diritto alla casa in Spagna
- BBC News — Spanish pensioner whose eviction sparked nationwide protests dies, union says
Earlier coverage
- Oct 9, 2026, 02:30 AM UTCSpanish pensioner whose eviction sparked housing crisis dies at 87
- Oct 8, 2026, 02:30 AM UTCSpanish housing protest figure Maricarmen Abascal dies aged 87