Photos: Protests erupt after 87-year-old evicted woman dies in Madrid

In PicturesSaveSharefacebookxwhatsapp-strokecopylinkProtesters gather after the death of Maria del Carmen Abascal, the 87-year-old woman whose eviction sparked nationwide protests, in Puerta del Sol square in Madrid. [Bernat Armangue/AP Photo]By Al Jazeera Staff, AFP and APPublished On 8 Oct 20268 Oct 2026The death of an 87-year-old woman whose eviction from her longtime Madrid home ignited nationwide outrage has intensified Spain’s debate over housing and pushed the country into a political crisis.Maria del Carmen Abascal, known widely as “Maricarmen”, died in hospital on Wednesday, her lawyer confirmed, weeks after televised images showed police removing her on a stretcher from the flat where she had lived for seven decades. Activists said her case exposed the human cost of soaring rents and aggressive evictions.Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez led tributes online, calling her “a symbol” of renters struggling with Spain’s affordability crisis and writing on X: “All my love to Maricarmen’s family and loved ones. … Rest in peace.” Protesters gathered near parliament chanted: “Maricarmen lives. The fight goes on!”Her lawyer, Beatriz Duro, said activists were devastated, calling the eviction “shameful violence” that showed “the impact it can have on people’s health”. Housing groups stressed that although a deal was eventually reached allowing her to return home, the agreement came “too late” after a “harrowing ordeal”.Spain’s average rent has almost doubled in a decade, and the government said more than a quarter of tenants spend about 40 percent of their income on housing and utilities – more than double the EU average.Abascal’s removal from her home so the property could be relet at a higher price set off protests across Spain, a planned general strike next month and mounting pressure on politicians. After failing to pass emergency housing measures, Sanchez called an early election for November 29, hoping to channel public anger into support for his Socialist Party.Conservative opposition leader Alberto Nunez Feijoo also offered condolences, urging “respect” and warning against using Abascal’s death for political gain.Abascal became a symbol of Spain's housing crisis on September 23, 2026, when she was evicted from her longtime Madrid home on a stretcher after the real estate firm that owned the apartment drastically hiked the rent. [Thomas Coex/AFP]Abascal had been hospitalised after being carried out of her apartment, where she had lived for seven decades. Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez offered his condolences in a post on X. [Thomas Coex/AFP]After Abascal's eviction, the Madrid Tenants' Union organised protests and encampments in central Madrid's Puerta del Sol square, drawing tens of thousands of demonstrators, before they spread to dozens of other cities. [Bernat Armangue/AP Photo]A man lights a candle after the death of Abascal at the age of 87. [Bernat Armangue/AP Photo]Trade unions have announced a nationwide general ⁠strike over housing on November 11, a few weeks before snap elections in which rising rents and evictions have become major campaign ⁠topics. [Bernat Armangue/AP Photo]The country's two largest unions, the General Union of Workers (UGT) and Workers' Commissions (CCOO), said the planned strike date still needs to be ratified by other unions. It would be the first general strike jointly backed by Spain's two largest unions in 14 years. [Bernat Armangue/AP Photo]Spain has a deficit of about 750,000 homes, which is set to grow ⁠to more than 1 million by 2028, according to ⁠the Bank of Spain. The average rental price of 1,176 euros ($1,315) is equivalent to about 98.7 percent of a young person's average monthly salary in Spain, Youth Council of Spain figures show. [Thomas Coex/AFP]In addition to the protests, the failure last week by Spain's government to pass emergency measures in parliament aimed at tackling the housing crisis prompted Sanchez to call early elections for ⁠November 29. [Bernat Armangue/AP Photo]Police officers cordon off parliament in Madrid as protesters gather after the death of Abascal. [Bernat Armangue/AP Photo]