Maricarmen Abascal, whose eviction ignited Spain's housing protests, dies at 87

Maricarmen Abascal, the 87-year-old Spanish woman whose forced eviction from her Madrid apartment ignited nationwide housing protests and contributed to a snap election, has died in hospital, the Madrid Tenants' Union said on Wednesday.

Abascal was removed on a stretcher from the home where she had lived for more than seven decades on 23 September, after she could not afford a rent increase demanded by the property's owner. The eviction, broadcast widely on television, prompted immediate demonstrations and a wave of outrage that has reshaped Spanish politics.

"We regret to announce that Maricarmen passed away today," the union said in a statement, calling her case "a turning point in the history of this country". Union spokesperson Alicia del Río said: "Speculation costs lives, and today rentierism has finished killing our colleague Maricarmen," adding that "her memory lives on with us".

Abascal's father first rented the property in 1956, and she continued as tenant after her parents died. The investment firm Urbagestión, which bought the flat in 2018, raised the rent from €500 per month to €2,650, later offering to reduce it to €1,650, still €300 more than her monthly pension.

After the eviction, the company offered to allow her to return at the original rent, but she was unable to sign the agreement because she had been admitted to hospital. The union said the solution had come too late, describing the situation as "an absolutely avoidable situation after a torturing process".

News of her death was received in Madrid's Puerta del Sol, where thousands have been camping since the eviction, with a collective gasp and a minute of silence. Protesters lit candles and left signs reading "it's not a death, it's a killing" and "Mari Carmen, the grandmother of the whole country".

Several hundred people then marched from the square toward the Spanish Congress, chanting "We will not tolerate a single eviction more" and "the fight will continue, Mari Carmen is still alive". The protest ended with another minute of silence and a collective shout of "murderers".

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez offered his condolences, writing on social media: "All my love goes to Maricarmen's family and loved ones. A hug as well to everyone who today feels this loss as their own." Opposition People's Party leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo also sent condolences, saying "no campaign, no parties, no self-interested exploitation" in the face of a death.

The public outcry over Abascal's situation has led to political turmoil in Spain. After parliament rejected emergency housing legislation last week, Sánchez called an early election for 29 November. Unions have also called a general strike for 11 November demanding housing reforms.

In a video recorded from her hospital bed following the eviction, Abascal said: "I haven't managed to defend my home, but I have fought so that others can learn to fight for what's theirs." The union said it would honour her request to "fight, keep fighting for what is yours".