Maricarmen Abascal dies at 87 following Madrid eviction

Maricarmen Abascal, an 87-year-old disabled woman whose forced removal from her home sparked nationwide protests across Spain, has died, according to news reports. The Madrid Tenants' Union and the South China Morning Post reported that she died on October 7. The Daily Mail and Al Jazeera reported that Abascal had become a symbol of the country's chronic housing crisis after being carried out of her flat on a stretcher following a court-ordered eviction. [1][4][5][6]

Abascal had lived in her Madrid apartment for more than 70 years before being removed in September, the Daily Mail reported. The newspaper said the eviction occurred after she was unable to afford steep rent increases, and she was taken to hospital shortly afterwards. Following her death, several people left candles and messages outside her former home, according to thejournal.ie. [1][4]

The eviction on September 23, 2026, brought public discontent over affordable housing back into the spotlight. Public frustration had already been building over a scandal involving the purchase of a luxury penthouse by Madrid premier Isabel Díaz Ayuso and the suicide of an evicted woman in L'Hospitalet de Llobregat earlier that month. On September 26, demonstrators established an organised protest camp at the Puerta del Sol square in Madrid. [12]

The protest movement put intense pressure on the minority leftist government, Sky News and the South China Morning Post reported, with her case helping to trigger a snap election. According to thejournal.ie, the movement has pushed the government to present urgent housing measures, including stricter limits on evictions and the automatic renewal of tenant contracts. [3][4][6]