Maricarmen's death deepens Spain housing crisis after Madrid eviction row

Mara del Carmen Abascal, the 87-year-old woman whose eviction from her longtime home in Madrid triggered protests across Spain and widened a political crisis over housing, died on Wednesday while hospitalised. Widely known as Maricarmen, she had become a symbol of the struggle faced by renters amid Spain’s housing affordability crisis.

Her death prompted condolences from Spain’s top leaders and fresh anger among protesters, who gathered near Parliament chanting, ‘Maricarmen lives, the fight goes on!’ Her lawyer, Beatriz Duro, confirmed the death but did not disclose the cause.

Prime Minister Pedro Snchez wrote on X, “All my love to Maricarmen’s family and loved ones. A hug as well to all of us who feel this loss as our own today. Rest in peace.” Housing Minister Isabel Rodrguez also expressed condolences, saying, “I deeply lament the death of Maricarmen. My condolences for those who accompanied her and fought by her side until the end.”

Duro said she and the activists were devastated. “Maricarmen’s case, which captured media attention and travelled around the world, leaves us the image of the shameful violence of these types of evictions and the impact they can have on people’s health,” she said.

Public anger had been building since September 23, when Maricarmen, who used a wheelchair, was taken out of her flat on a stretcher after police cordoned off the street and removed protesters. She was then taken to hospital because of her fragile health. Television images of the eviction led to protests by thousands of people in Madrid and other cities.

Maricarmen had been expected to return home after leaving hospital. The real estate company that evicted her so it could rent out the property at a much higher price later agreed to let her return, after mounting public pressure. But the Madrid Tenant’s Union said the decision came too late. “Although a historic agreement was reached that would have allowed her to return home, this solution came too late,” the union said. “It was an entirely avoidable situation following a harrowing ordeal.”

After news of her death, protesters camping at Madrid’s Puerta del Sol observed a minute’s silence. Maricarmen’s case had galvanised a wider social movement, led Spain’s unions to announce a general strike next month and increased pressure on political leaders. Snchez called an early election on Monday after his government failed last week to pass emergency housing measures in Parliament, and he now hopes the issue will help revive his Socialist Party and support his bid to form a new government after the November 29 election. Maricarmen’s death has now added to the public focus on Spain’s housing crisis.

With PTI Inputs

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