Woman, 87, whose eviction sparked nationwide protests over housing in Spain has died

An 87-year-old woman, whose eviction from her home sparked major protests in Spain and was partly responsible for a snap election, has died.

Maricarmen Abascal was forcibly removed from her Madrid home, where she had lived for seven decades, on a stretcher in September, sparking tense scenes outside and large-scale protests.

Those protests, along with parliament's rejection last week of decrees aimed at curbing evictions and limiting ⁠rent pressures, prompted Prime Minister ⁠Pedro Sanchez to call an early election for 29 November.

She had been allowed to return to her long-time home, paying a similar rent under a new eight-year contract with the building's owner following public outrage - however the ‌Madrid's Tenants' Union confirmed her death on Wednesday.

Reacting to the news, the Spanish prime minister wrote on X that he sent: "All my affection to Maricarmen's family and loved ones.

"A hug, too, to all of us who today feel this loss as our own. Rest in peace."

Thousands of protesters have camped out on Madrid's main square and in other Spanish cities in recent weeks, demanding new measures to protect tenants and curb the country's acute housing crisis.

"Although a historic agreement was reached that would have allowed her to return to her home, this solution came too late," the Madrid Tenant's Union said in a statement Wednesday.

"It was an entirely avoidable situation following a harrowing ordeal."

Protesters in Madrid's square held a minute of silence after hearing news of her passing.

'I've lived here for 71 years and I don't want to leave'

Ms Abascal was given just 30 minutes to leave her home on 23 September, with only essential belongings, before she was forcibly removed from the building on a stretcher, accompanied by social services officials.

Ms Abascal, a wheelchair user, was driven away in an ambulance as supporters chanted "Murderers!" and "Maricarmen, you're not alone!"

The apartment, in the capital's affluent Retiro neighbourhood, had been acquired by an investment fund that wanted to sharply increase her rent.

"I've lived here for 71 years and I don't want to leave," Ms Abascal had told reporters on the eve of her eviction.

Her removal sparked tense scenes outside, where police forcibly removed demonstrators blocking the entrance.

In a video that was recorded from her hospital bed following the eviction, the pensioner said: "I haven't managed to defend my home, but I have fought so that others can learn to fight for what's theirs".

"Please, fight," she urged the demonstrators.

Nationwide protests and a snap election

By the weekend after her eviction, crowds were marching through Madrid, carrying signs, chanting, and setting off flares, with some pitching tents in the popular Puerta del Sol public square for a sit-in protest.

The protests spread across the country, lasting for weeks.

Housing plans proposed by Pedro Sanchez's left-wing government in Parliament in response to the eviction and subsequent anger were struck down by rightwing MPs.

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They argued that the measures - ranging from rent caps to limits on purchasing real estate for corporate entities - would worsen the problem by choking supply.

Alberto Nunez Feijoo, the leader of the centre-right opposition People's Party, instead pledged to build 250,000 new homes a year in projects that he said would create 600,000 more jobs.

After the votes failed to pass, Mr Sanchez, who has managed to remain in office for eight years without ever winning a majority in parliament, called a snap election for 29 November.

The gamble appears to be based on a calculation that anger over a mounting housing crisis will be directed more at his opponents than at his own party - which has been hit by various allegations of corruption and the mass irregular entry of migrants into Ceuta.

(c) Sky News 2026: Woman, 87, whose eviction sparked nationwide protests over housing in Spain has died