Maricarmen Abascal, the 87-year-old woman whose high-profile eviction from her Madrid apartment sparked major housing protests across Spain, has died, according to the tenants union.
Abascal became a central symbol of Spain’s worsening housing crisis on 23rd September when she was forcibly removed on a stretcher from her lifelong home in Madrid. The eviction took place after a real estate firm that purchased the property drastically increased her rent.
Following her removal, the incident triggered widespread public outrage, leading to demonstrations, activist camps in public squares, and intense political debate regarding rental protections and property speculation.
The tenants union announced her death, noting that she had remained hospitalised following the ordeal that drew nationwide attention to the struggles faced by elderly tenants amid soaring housing costs.
