Maricarmen Abascal, Spanish pensioner whose eviction sparked protests, dies at 87

Maricarmen Abascal, whose forcible removal from her Madrid home in September turned her into a national symbol of Spain's housing crisis, has died at the age of 87, Madrid's tenants union announced. The union said her case represented a turning point in the country's history. Abascal had lived in the apartment for more than 70 years before she was carried out on a stretcher on 23 September after failing to keep up with steep rent increases.

News of her death reached Puerta del Sol, the Madrid square where thousands have camped since the eviction to demand more affordable housing, drawing a collective gasp and a minute of silence, according to the BBC. Dozens of candles were lit around the square, with more arranged into an altar in front of the regional government headquarters, and handwritten messages left behind included phrases such as 'it's not a death, it's a killing' and 'Maricarmen, the grandmother of the whole country'. A few hundred people later marched from the square to parliament on Wednesday night, chanting that they would not tolerate another eviction and that the fight would continue, before a second minute of silence gave way to a collective shout of 'murderers'. One protester told the BBC that people would stay in the square for as long as necessary, and some demonstrators directed anger at police, who under court orders must remove tenants served with eviction notices.

The company that owned Abascal's flat had later offered to let her return at a lower rent, but she was unable to sign an agreement because she had been admitted to hospital. She was already in fragile health at the time of the eviction and was treated at Madrid's Gregorio Marañón Hospital, from where she sent messages of support to the protesters. Announcing her death, Madrid Tenants' Union spokeswoman Alicia del Río said speculation costs lives and that rent profiteering had finished killing her colleague, adding that Abascal's memory would make them fight even harder.

The public outcry over Abascal's situation exposed deep political divisions in Spain. The Socialist-led government tried to respond to the protests, but its attempt to push through urgent housing measures failed, prompting Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez to call snap elections. The political right argued that intervening in the housing market would have led to fewer homes being rented and pushed prices up further, while Sánchez said this week that he needed a broader progressive majority capable of overcoming the resistance of the elites to pass reforms.

Unions had earlier on Wednesday called a general strike for 11 November to demand housing reforms. Beyond housing, Sánchez has also faced pressure over corruption scandals linked to his party, the cost of living and immigration. Most opinion polls suggest the conservative People's Party is likely to emerge as the largest party in the next election, though it would be expected to need the support of the hard-right Vox party, currently third in the polls, to form a government.