In brief
Maricarmen Abascal, 87, passed away after her forced eviction from a Madrid flat that had become a flashpoint for housing protests. A legal glitch allowed her landlord to hike rent from €500 to €2,650, a figure far above her pension, prompting court battles and nationwide demonstrations. Her death has intensified calls for emergency housing legislation that was rejected in Congress, igniting a general strike and urging Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez to call an early election. Tens of thousands have gathered in Madrid’s Puerta del Sol, making the square a temporary protest camp as the country grapples with housing shortages and political instability.
Maricarmen Abascal, 87, has died. The Madrid tenants union announced today that the woman who was kicked out of her apartment two weeks earlier—a eviction that ignited nationwide protests over Spain’s housing crisis—has passed away. Abascal was removed from a flat she had lived in for over 70 years, after her landlord unlawfully raised her rent from €500 to €2,650. The company later offered a lower rate, but she was hospitalized and could not sign an agreement.
Abascal’s case became a symbol of the housing squeeze gripping Spain. Her father had rented the property in 1956, and rent caps kept the cost low during her parents’ lifetime. A legal loophole in the property’s ownership allowed Urbagestión, the investment firm that owned the flat, to lift the rent to €1,650—still €300 above her pension. Three earlier eviction attempts were blocked by courts, but media attention swelled as protests grew.
The union said the bill that would have allowed Abascal to return “has come too late.” It called the eviction “an absolutely avoidable situation after a torturing process” and declared the events a turning point in Spain’s history. The union added, “Above all, we will fulfill what she always asked of us: fight, keep fighting for what is yours.”
In Madrid, protests have escalated into a permanent encampment on Puerta del Sol. Tens of thousands marched after the death announcement, and the square has become one of the focal points for demonstrations over the past fortnight. The protests are part of a broader movement that prompted a general strike on 11 November and demands for emergency housing legislation—legislation that was rejected in Congress last week.
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, whose left‑leaning coalition was struggling to pass reforms, called an early election for 29 November after the bill’s defeat. The political right argued that government intervention would only tighten the market and increase rents. Sánchez said he needed a “broader progressive majority” to overcome the elites and push reforms forward, but corruption scandals and the cost‑of‑living debate have further weakened his position. Early polling suggests the conservatives could become the largest party, but they will still need the hard‑right Vox to form a government.
Later updates: the Madrid Tenants’ Union made several statements since the announcement, urging continued pressure for housing reforms and promising to honor Abascal’s legacy. The protest encampment at Puerta del Sol remains active, with organizers calling for a sustained campaign for fair housing policy across the country.
