{"id":9245,"date":"2026-10-07T12:27:36","date_gmt":"2026-10-07T19:27:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/infonews.ca\/news\/7948527\/spains-pm-offers-condolences-after-reported-death-of-woman-whose-eviction-sparked-protests\/"},"modified":"2026-10-07T15:00:04","modified_gmt":"2026-10-07T22:00:04","slug":"maricarmen-the-87-year-old-woman-whose-eviction-shook-spain-has-died-in-hospital","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/infonews.ca\/inhome\/news\/9245\/maricarmen-the-87-year-old-woman-whose-eviction-shook-spain-has-died-in-hospital\/","title":{"rendered":"Maricarmen, the 87-year-old woman whose eviction shook Spain, has died in hospital"},"content":{"rendered":"

MADRID (AP) \u2014 Mar\u00eda del Carmen Abascal, the 87-year-old woman whose eviction from her longtime Madrid home sparked nationwide protests<\/a> across Spain and unleashed a political crisis<\/a>, died on Wednesday while hospitalized.<\/p>\n

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro S\u00e1nchez<\/a> led the way on social media offering his condolences after housing activists and Abascal’s lawyer announced her death. Known widely as \u201cMaricarmen,\u201d she had become a symbol for renters struggling with Spain’s housing affordability crisis.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll my love to Maricarmen\u2019s family and loved ones,\u201d S\u00e1nchez said in a post on X. \u201cA hug as well to all of us who feel this loss as our own today. Rest in peace.\u201d<\/p>\n

The emotions ran into anger on the street among the protesters gathered near Spain’s Parliament who chanted \u201cMaricarmen lives, the fight goes on!\u201d<\/p>\n

Iciar L\u00f3pez, a 32-year-old psychologist, shared her feelings with The Associated Press at the protest in Madrid.<\/p>\n

\n \"|\"
Protesters gather after the reported death of Mar\u00eda del Carmen Abascal, the 87-year-old woman whose eviction sparked nationwide protests, in Puerta del Sol square in Madrid, Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2026. (AP Photo\/Bernat Armangue)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cA great deal of sorrow. And above all, the thought that she is the cause, the head of this whole revolution that has happened, and that she can\u2019t see it,\u201d she said. \u201cIt makes me very sad that she can\u2019t see if anything comes of it, if there is any result from all that she has fought for, as well. That\u2019s what angers me the most, honestly.\u201d<\/p>\n

Spaniards increasingly frustrated by housing costs periodically march<\/a> in major cities demanding action from lawmakers. But a fresh wave of indignation has swept Spain since Sept. 23, when Maricarmen, who used a wheelchair, was carried on a stretcher from her home of seven decades after police cordoned off the street and removed protesters. She was taken to a hospital because of her fragile health.<\/p>\n

Televised images of the eviction prompted thousands of people to protest<\/a> in Madrid and other cities across the country.<\/p>\n

Maricarmen’s lawyer, Beatriz Duro, did not disclose the cause of death when she confirmed it to Cadena Ser radio. Duro said that she and the activists were all devastated.<\/p>\n

\u201cMaricarmen’s case, which captured media attention and traveled around the world, leaves us the image of the shameful violence of these types of evictions and the impact they can have on people\u2019s health,\u201d Duro said.<\/p>\n

\n \"|\"
Protesters gather after the reported death of Mar\u00eda del Carmen Abascal, the 87-year-old woman whose eviction sparked nationwide protests, in Puerta del Sol square in Madrid, Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2026. (AP Photo\/Bernat Armangue)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

She had been expected to return home after leaving the hospital. The real estate company that evicted her in order to rent the property at a much higher price eventually caved in under immense public pressure and agreed to let her return to the apartment.<\/p>\n

\u201cAlthough a historic agreement was reached that would have allowed her to return home, this solution came too late,\u201d the Madrid Tenants’ Union said in a statement Wednesday. \u201cIt was an entirely avoidable situation following a harrowing ordeal.\u201d<\/p>\n

The average rent for Spain has almost doubled in the last 10 years, according to the real estate website Idealista. Spain\u2019s government said that 26% of Spaniards who rent housing spend an average of 40% of their income on rent and utilities, compared with the European Union average of 18% of renters who do so.<\/p>\n

Protesters camped in Madrid\u2019s central Puerta del Sol square held a minute of silence after learning of her death.<\/p>\n

Maricarmen spent almost her entire life in her apartment, where she first lived with her parents and brother. She later worked as a secretary for the board of a pharmaceutical company, Spanish daily El Pa\u00eds reported. She said both her parents died in the apartment.<\/p>\n

\n \"|\"
Protesters gather after the reported death of Mar\u00eda del Carmen Abascal, the 87-year-old woman whose eviction sparked nationwide protests, outside Parliament in Madrid, Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2026. (AP Photo\/Bernat Armangue)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

After retiring in 1998, she spent her days walking around the neighborhood, doing errands and taking care of the precious items in her home. The paper reported that black-and-white family photographs were among the only things she had brought with her to the hospital.<\/p>\n

\u201cMaricarmen only wanted to die in her home. She wasn\u2019t asking for anything else,\u201d Eugenio Melchor, 22, said at the protest in Madrid. \u201cShe was dying in her home and she almost did. They have killed her. I mean, there\u2019s no other word for it, and I hope those responsible for this pay and go to trial.\u201d<\/p>\n

Maricarmen\u2019s plight galvanized a social movement, prompted Spain\u2019s unions to announce a general strike next month and intensified pressure on political leaders. S\u00e1nchez called an early election Monday after his government failed last week to push emergency housing measures through Parliament. He now hopes the issue will reinvigorate his Socialist Party and help him form a new government after the Nov. 29 election.<\/p>\n

Housing Minister Isabel Rodr\u00edguez also expressed condolences, writing on X: \u201cI deeply lament the death of Maricarmen. My condolences to those who accompanied her and fought by her side until the end.\u201d<\/p>\n

Conservative opposition leader Alberto N\u00fa\u00f1ez Feij\u00f3o, who hopes to unseat S\u00e1nchez and his left-wing coalition, also offered condolences.<\/p>\n

\n \"|\"
Police officers cordon off the area as protesters gather after the reported death of Mar\u00eda del Carmen Abascal, the 87-year-old woman whose eviction sparked nationwide protests, outside Parliament in Madrid, Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2026. (AP Photo\/Bernat Armangue)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cI want to express my condolences to Maricarmen’s family and loved ones. No campaign, no party, no use for political advantage,\u201d the Popular Party leader wrote. \u201cWhen faced with the death of a person, we must only show respect.\u201d<\/p>\n

___<\/p>\n

Wilson reported from Barcelona, Spain. Associated Press writers Teresa Medrano, in Madrid, and Renata Brito, in Barcelona, contributed.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

MADRID (AP) \u2014 Mar\u00eda del Carmen Abascal, the 87-year-old woman whose eviction from her longtime Madrid home sparked nationwide protests across Spain and unleashed a political crisis, died on Wednesday while hospitalized. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro S\u00e1nchez led the way on social media offering his condolences after housing activists and Abascal’s lawyer announced her death. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":521,"featured_media":9246,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"guid":"b752d5d1-ecd7-4d66-a865-f40f6545deae","source":"The Associated Press","byline":"Joseph Wilson And Alicia Le\u00f3n","published":"2026-10-07 12:27:36","updated":"2026-10-07 14:51:37","_infotelid":"","_prepressid":"","_multisite_post_sync":"","_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1737,1738],"tags":[],"region":[1835],"class_list":["post-9245","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-international","category-world","region-world"],"blocksy_meta":{"styles_descriptor":{"styles":{"desktop":"","tablet":"","mobile":""},"google_fonts":[],"version":8}},"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","canonical_url":"https:\/\/infonews.ca\/inhome\/news\/9245\/maricarmen-the-87-year-old-woman-whose-eviction-shook-spain-has-died-in-hospital\/","smart_links":{"inbound":0,"outbound":0},"traffic_boost_suggestions_count":0,"meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"Maricarmen, the 87-year-old woman whose eviction shook Spain, has died in hospital","url":"http:\/\/infonews.ca\/inhome\/news\/9245\/maricarmen-the-87-year-old-woman-whose-eviction-shook-spain-has-died-in-hospital\/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/infonews.ca\/inhome\/news\/9245\/maricarmen-the-87-year-old-woman-whose-eviction-shook-spain-has-died-in-hospital\/"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/infonews.ca\/inhome\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/inhome-5daa0644bcef82925cf1fae0be94e95ea2204b87221f014ce848e4b57b0c0440.jpg?w=150&h=150&crop=1","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/infonews.ca\/inhome\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/inhome-5daa0644bcef82925cf1fae0be94e95ea2204b87221f014ce848e4b57b0c0440.jpg"},"articleSection":"International","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"The Associated Press"}],"creator":["The Associated Press"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"iNhome","logo":""},"keywords":[],"dateCreated":"2026-10-07T19:27:36Z","datePublished":"2026-10-07T19:27:36Z","dateModified":"2026-10-07T22:00:04Z"},"rendered":"