María del Carmen Abascal, the 87-year-old woman whose eviction from her Madrid apartment became a flashpoint for Spain's housing crisis and triggered a political upheaval, died in hospital on Wednesday evening. Her lawyer, Beatriz Duro, confirmed the death to Cadena Ser radio, though she did not disclose the cause.
Known affectionately as “Maricarmen,” Abascal had been hospitalised since 23 September, when police cleared protesters and removed her from the home she had occupied for seven decades. The images of the wheelchair-bound woman being carried out on a stretcher sparked outrage across the country and led to mass demonstrations in Madrid and other cities.
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez was among the first to offer condolences. “All my love to Maricarmen’s family and loved ones,” he wrote on X. “A hug as well to all of us who feel this loss as our own today. Rest in peace.”
Outside Spain's Parliament in Madrid, protesters gathered late into the night, chanting “Maricarmen lives, the fight goes on!” Many expressed a mixture of grief and anger. “A great deal of sorrow. And above all, the thought that she is the cause, the head of this whole revolution that has happened, and that she can’t see it,” said Iciar López, a 32-year-old psychologist at the protest. “It makes me very sad that she can’t see if anything comes of it. That’s what angers me the most, honestly.”
A symbol of a deepening crisis
Abascal's case resonated far beyond her neighbourhood. She had lived in the same flat for most of her life, first with her parents and brother, later working as a secretary for a pharmaceutical company. After retiring in 1998, she spent her days walking the local streets, running errands, and tending to the family photographs that were among the few belongings she took to the hospital.
The eviction was ordered by a real estate company that wanted to re-let the property at a significantly higher rent. Under intense public pressure, the company eventually agreed to let her return home. But it was too late. “Although a historic agreement was reached that would have allowed her to return home, this solution came too late,” the Madrid Tenants' Union said in a statement. “It was an entirely avoidable situation following a harrowing ordeal.”
Her lawyer, Beatriz Duro, said the case “leaves us the image of the shameful violence of these types of evictions and the impact they can have on people’s health.”
The housing crisis in Spain has deepened over the past decade. Average rents have nearly doubled in ten years, and the government says 26% of tenants spend about 40% of their income on rent and utilities—far above the European Union average of 18%. The issue has become a political flashpoint, with Sánchez unveiling 21 housing measures and calling a snap election in response to the protests.
At the Puerta del Sol square in central Madrid, where protesters had camped, a minute of silence was held after news of Abascal's death spread. Many demonstrators vowed to continue the movement. “Maricarmen only wanted to die in her home. She wasn’t asking for anything else,” said Eugenio Melchor, 22. “She was dying in her home and she almost did. They have killed her. I mean, there’s no other word for it, and I hope those responsible for this pay and go to trial.”
The protests have drawn comparisons to other social movements across Europe, such as the student demonstrations in Paris that have also highlighted generational anger over inequality and access to basic needs. In Spain, the housing issue has become a central theme in the upcoming election campaign, with parties on the left and right vying to address the concerns of a population increasingly squeezed by rising costs.
For many, Maricarmen's death is a stark reminder of the human cost of the crisis. “She was the head of this whole revolution,” said López, “and she can’t see it.”
