Spanish tenant Maricarmen Abascal dies after Madrid eviction

María del Carmen “Maricarmen” Abascal, an 87-year-old tenant whose removal from her longtime Madrid apartment prompted protests across Spain, has died while hospitalised, according to the Madrid Tenants' Union and her lawyer. Her death was reported on 7 October, after an eviction that became a focus of Spain's housing debate and political dispute over emergency measures.¹²³

Eviction and death

Abascal had lived in the Madrid apartment for more than seven decades. According to the BBC, she was forcibly removed in September after being unable to meet rent increases; three earlier eviction attempts had been stopped by courts. NPR reported that police cordoned off the street, moved protesters away and carried her from the home on a stretcher. The Guardian reported that police used teargas during the operation.¹²³

The Madrid Tenants' Union said an agreement had ultimately been reached that would have enabled Abascal to return, but it came after she had been admitted to hospital. The investment firm also said she could return, according to the Guardian. Reports said Abascal died only hours before she was scheduled to sign a fresh lease; NPR said she had been expected to go back home once discharged from hospital.¹²³

The BBC reported that Urbagestión bought the property in 2018 and raised the monthly rent from €500 to €2,650. It later offered a rent of €1,650, which the broadcaster said was €300 above Abascal's monthly pension. The Guardian reported that the firm had sought a 230% increase.²³

Protests and political response

Televised images of the eviction led to demonstrations in Madrid and other Spanish cities, NPR reported. The Guardian put attendance at a subsequent Madrid protest at about 10,000 people, while the BBC reported that tens of thousands protested in cities around the country over the weekend. After Abascal's death, people assembled at Puerta del Sol, where protesters held candles and posters; campaigners also observed a silence and hundreds marched to parliament, according to the sources.¹²³

Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez offered condolences to Abascal's family and to those affected by her death. His government had faced pressure to introduce emergency housing legislation, but Congress rejected it, according to the BBC. According to the Guardian, Sánchez called an early general election after two emergency decrees were voted down by rightwing and far-right parties. The newspaper said his cabinet later adopted two housing decrees with 21 measures.²³

Spain's unions have announced a general strike in November to demand housing reforms. The wider debate concerns housing costs: the Guardian reported that rents in Spain rose 80% over a decade and house prices rose 63%, while NPR said average rents had almost doubled over the same period.¹²³

A personal case in a national debate

The Madrid Tenants' Union described Abascal's case as preventable and said the eventual agreement arrived too late. Before her death, Abascal had said: "I haven't managed to defend my home, but I have fought so that others can learn to fight for what's theirs."²³

Abascal's case has become a reference point for campaigners pressing for housing reform. NPR said 26% of renters in Spain devote about 40% of their income to rent and utilities, versus an EU-wide figure of 18% for renters allocating that proportion.¹