María del Carmen Abascal, the 87-year-old whose eviction sparked a nationwide wave of protests against Spain’s housing crisis, has died. Her passing comes just two weeks after she was forcibly removed from her Madrid apartment, where she had lived for over seven decades.
Eviction Sparks Outrage
Abascal's eviction was executed by an investment firm that sought to increase her rent by 230%. The dramatic scenes of her removal, which included police using tear gas, captured public attention and anger. Protesters rallied in the streets of Madrid, with around 10,000 people demonstrating hours later, holding signs that read "Shame" and "We’re all Maricarmen."
From the north to the south of Spain, citizens gathered in plazas to express their frustration over the housing crisis, which has seen rents soar by 80% and house prices climb by 63% over the past decade.
A Voice for Change
While hospitalized for exhaustion, Abascal expressed her support for the burgeoning movement in a video message:
“"I would like to be there with you all. But I’m not that lucky. So from here, I ask you all for courage and to fight and defend what is yours."
As encampments emerged across the country, the investment firm that purchased her home offered her a chance to return, but this did little to quell the outrage that followed her eviction.
