Evicted Spanish octogenarian Maricarmen Abascal, heart of Spain's housing protests, has died
Maricarmen Abascal, an 87-year-old woman whose eviction became a symbol of Spain's housing crisis, has died following her removal from her home. Her death has intensified public protests and political pressure, leading to a nationwide general strike and the calling of early elections by Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez.
Why it matters
The incident highlights the severe social and political instability caused by rising housing costs and eviction policies in Europe, directly impacting national governance.
Maricarmen Abascal, the 87-year-old woman whose dramatic eviction last month sparked mass housing protests in Spain that ultimately led to an early election, has died, Madrid’s tenants’ union said on Wednesday (October 7, 2026), provoking an outpouring of grief and anger on the streets of the capital.
Ms. Abascal had been in hospital since her eviction on September 23 from her home of more than 70 years, when police and social workers removed her by stretcher.
Maricarmen Abascal, 87, is transported on a stretcher to an ambulance, after she was evicted from the Madrid home where she had lived for more than seven decades after the apartment was acquired by an investment fund that sought a steep increase in her rent, despite efforts by housing activists to broker an alternative arrangement in Madrid, Spain, on September 23, 2026. | Photo Credit: Reuters
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