{"id":2184630,"date":"2026-10-07T18:54:05","date_gmt":"2026-10-07T15:54:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2184630"},"modified":"2026-10-07T18:54:05","modified_gmt":"2026-10-07T15:54:05","slug":"spanish-pensioner-whose-eviction-sparked-nationwide-protests-dies-union-says","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2184630","title":{"rendered":"Spanish pensioner whose eviction sparked nationwide protests dies, union says"},"content":{"rendered":"

[analyse_image type=”featured” src=”https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/1024\/branded_news\/d9ee\/live\/06010330-c283-11f1-98ea-35e6bf307fc9.jpg”]<\/p>\n

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\"EuropaEuropa Press via Getty Images<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
Maricarmen Abascal was evicted from her flat in Madrid two weeks ago<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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An elderly woman whose eviction sparked nationwide protests over Spain’s housing crisis and a political row that triggered early elections has died, according to Madrid’s tenants union.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Maricarmen Abascal, 87, was forcibly removed on a stretcher from her apartment of more than 70 years on 23 September after she was unable to afford rent increases. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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The company that owned the flat later offered to allow her to return at a lower rate – but she was unable to sign an agreement as she had been admitted to hospital.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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“We regret to announce that Maricarmen passed away today,” the Madrid Tenants’ Union said in a statement, adding her situation marked “a turning point in the history of this country”.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Union spokesperson Alicia del R\u00edo said: “Speculation costs lives, and today rentierism has finished killing our colleague Maricarmen” but “her memory lives on with us”.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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A cause of death was not announced.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Abascal’s death was received in Puerta del Sol with a big collective gasp, then followed by a minute of silence.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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It is in this square in the centre of Madrid where thousands have been camping since Abascal’s eviction last month to demand more affordable housing.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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On Wednesday, it became the place to pay tribute to her.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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People lit dozens of candles around the square in a small improvised vigil that glowed with a warm light on a dry and warm autumn night.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Other candles formed an altar to Abascal in front of the headquarters of the Community of Madrid government.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Messages on cardboard banners next to the candles read “it’s not a death, it’s a killing”, “the fight will continue” and “Mari Carmen, the grandmother of the whole country”, among others.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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A few hundred people then took to the streets that connect Puerta del Sol with the Spanish Congress, just 500m away, in an improvised protest.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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During the march people chanted: “We will not tolerate a single eviction more” and “the fight will continue, Mari Carmen is still alive”. There were other chants against fascism and against the police.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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The police had set up barriers to block the march. There was not a big police presence, and there was the tension that protests sometimes have.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Many protesters seemed to feel the police have been complicit in the evictions, as under court orders they have to remove tenants who have been served eviction notices.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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After a couple of hours, the chants near Congress gave way to another minute of silence. Then, a big collective shout of “murderers”.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Wednesday night’s march has finished, but the camping, already on its 12th night, will continue “as long as necessary” one of the protesters told the BBC.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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\"People<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Abascal became a symbol for Spain’s housing crisis following her eviction.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Her father first rented the property in 1956 and she continued as the tenant after her parents died, during which time there was a cap on the rent.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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However, Urbagesti\u00f3n, which bought the property in 2018, increased the rent from \u20ac500 per month (\u00a3428; $572) to \u20ac2,650 (\u00a32,280; $3,020).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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The company later offered to reduce this to \u20ac1,650 – still \u20ac300 more than Abascal’s monthly pension.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Three previous attempts to evict her were blocked by the courts and the case has received increasing media attention.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Anger over the situation grew, leading to protests and putting pressure on the coalition government to approve emergency housing legislation – but it was rejected in Congress last week.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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That led to further protests, with tens of thousands of people takingto the streets in cities across the country over the weekend.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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\"ReutersReuters<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
Protesters gathered at one of Madrid’s main squares, Puerta del Sol, following Absacal’s death<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Referring to the rejected bills, the Madrid Tenants’ Union said: “While a historic agreement was reached that would have allowed her to return to her home, this solution has come too late. An absolutely avoidable situation after a torturing process.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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It said the events surrounding her eviction represented a turning point in the country’s history, but added that the cost to get to this point had been “too high”.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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“Above all, we will fulfil what she always asked of us: ‘fight, keep fighting for what is yours’,” it said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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In a video recorded from her hospital bed following her eviction, Maricarmen said: “I haven’t managed to defend my home, but I have fought so that others can learn to fight for what’s theirs.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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“All my love goes to Maricarmen’s family and loved ones,” Spanish Prime Minister Pedro S\u00e1nchez said. “A hug as well to everyone who today feels this loss as their own.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Opposition People’s Party leader Alberto N\u00fa\u00f1ez Feij\u00f3o also sent his condolences to Maricarmen’s loved ones, as he said on X: “No campaign, no parties, no self-interested exploitation. No more stones in the wall.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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“In the face of a person’s death, only respect is in order,” he added.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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\"ReutersReuters<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Earlier on Wednesday, unions had called a general strike to take place on 11 November, demanding housing reforms.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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The public outcry over Abascal’s situation has led to political turmoil in Spain.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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On Monday S\u00e1nchez, who leads a leftist coalition that does not hold a majority in parliament, called an early election for 29 November. It followed his failure to get the emergency housing legislation through Congress.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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The political right had argued that the government’s attempt to intervene in the housing market would have led to fewer homes being rented and would have raised prices further.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Speaking on Monday, S\u00e1nchez said he needed “a broader progressive majority” that can “overcome the resistance of the elites” to push through reforms.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Other issues not relating to housing, such as numerous corruption scandals linked to his party, and pressures relating to the cost of living and immigration, have also caused him problems.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Most opinion polls suggest the conservatives are likely to emerge as the largest party in the next election. However, they would be expected to need the support of the hard-right Vox party to form a government.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Additional reporting by Tom McArthur<\/i><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n

[analyse_source url=”https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/articles\/c6e3x21ev9wwo”]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

[analyse_image type=”featured” src=”https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/1024\/branded_news\/d9ee\/live\/06010330-c283-11f1-98ea-35e6bf307fc9.jpg”] Europa Press via Getty Images Maricarmen Abascal was evicted from her flat in Madrid two weeks ago An elderly woman whose eviction sparked nationwide protests over Spain’s housing crisis and a political row that triggered early elections has died, according to Madrid’s tenants union. Maricarmen Abascal, 87, was forcibly removed on a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[35,226],"class_list":["post-2184630","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics","tag-bbc-com","tag-crawlmanager"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2184630","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2184630"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2184630\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2184630"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2184630"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2184630"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}