Her eviction from her home sparked nationwide protests in Spain, Maricarmen Abascal dies

Maricarmen Abascal, 87, whose eviction sparked nationwide protests over Spain’s housing crisis, has died. The Madrid tenants’ union announced this on Wednesday.

The elderly woman was forcibly removed on a stretcher from the apartment she had lived in for more than 70 years on September 23, after she was unable to afford a rent increase.

The company that owned the apartment later offered her the chance to return at a lower rent, but she was unable to sign an agreement because she had been admitted to hospital.

“We regret to announce that Maricarmen died today,” the Madrid Tenants’ Union said in a statement, adding that her situation marked a turning point in the country’s history.

Abascal became a symbol of Spain’s housing crisis after her eviction. Her father first rented the property in 1956 and she remained a tenant after her parents died, during which time her rent was capped.

However, a legal error allowed her landlord, the investment company Urbagestion, to raise her rent from 500 euros to 2,650 euros. It was later lowered to 1,650 euros – still 300 euros more than her monthly pension.

Three previous attempts to evict her were blocked by the courts and the case attracted ever greater media attention.

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.

That led to further protests, with tens of thousands of people taking to the streets in cities across the country over the weekend.

On Monday, Sánchez, who leads a left-wing coalition that does not have a majority in parliament, announced snap elections for November 29. That followed his failure to pass the emergency housing legislation in Congress.

The political right had argued that the government’s attempt to intervene in the housing market would have led to fewer homes being offered for rent and would have pushed prices up further.

Speaking on Monday, Sánchez said he needed “a broader progressive majority” that could “overcome the resistance of the elites” in order to push reforms forward.

Other issues unrelated to housing, such as the numerous corruption scandals linked to his party and pressures linked to the cost of living and immigration, have also caused him problems.

Most opinion polls suggest the conservatives are likely to emerge as the largest party in the coming elections. However, they are expected to need the support of the far-right Vox party to form a government.