87‑year‑old pensioner whose eviction sparked Spanish housing protests has died
Maricarmen Abascal, the 87‑year‑old woman whose 2022 eviction triggered widespread housing protests in Spain, has died, according to Madrid's tenants' union. Both the New Zealand Herald and France 24 report her death and reference the earlier protests, with no differing details.
First reported 2 hours ago · latest update 2 hours ago
Maricarmen Abascal, 87, died on Wednesday, the tenants’ union said. Photo / Getty Images
An 87-year-old Madrid woman whose eviction triggered nationwide protests over Spain’s chronic housing crisis and a political debate that culminated in early elections has died.
“We are sorry to announce that Maricarmen passed away today,” the Madrid Tenants’ Union said in a statement about Maricarmen Abascal, adding that her cause marked “a turning point in the history of this country”.
Abascal became a symbol of Spain’s housing market on September 23 when she was evicted from her lifelong Madrid home on a stretcher after the real estate firm that owned the apartment drastically hiked the rent.
Outrage at her eviction triggered national demonstrations, with hundreds of people camping in Madrid’s Puerta del Sol square in the most symbolic of the protests.
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Evicted pensioner who sparked Spain housing protests dies: Tenants union
Maricarmen Abascal, 87, was evicted after the apartment owner drastically hiked the rent.
2 hours agoEvicted pensioner who sparked Spain housing protests dies: tenant union
Maricarmen Abascal, the 87-year-old woman whose eviction sparked housing protests in Spain, has died, Madrid's tenants' union said on Wednesday. Abascal's eviction sparked a series of protests across Spain in the past couple of weeks, including activists camping on one of Madrid's main squares, and calls for tackling a mounting housing crisis. FRANCE 24's Sarah Morris reports from Madrid.
2 hours ago · FRANCE24