Spain’s housing protest symbol Maricarmen Abascal dies, prompting nationwide strike call

Her death was announced by Madrid’s tenants’ union as a general strike over housing issues is scheduled for 11 November.

By Felo News Desk · Published Thu, 08 Oct 2026 00:36:09 GMT

Maricarmen Abascal, the 87‑year‑old whose eviction sparked mass protests across Spain, has died, the tenants’ union said on Wednesday.

What happened

Abascal had been hospitalised after being carried out on a stretcher from the flat she had lived in for seven decades. She was expected to return home after reaching an agreement with the property firm that owned the building. Her eviction last month triggered demonstrations, including a camp of tents in Madrid’s Puerta del Sol and streets filled with roughly 10,000 protesters. Police used rounds of teargas during the removal, and the investment firm that owned the property had initially sought to raise her rent by 230 %.

What the reports add

Reuters footage, cited by the Independent, showed activists camping in a major Madrid square following the eviction.
The Guardian reported that the eviction sparked a wave of protests that spread from north to south, with rents having risen about 80 % and house‑price gains of 63 % over the past decade.
The Independent noted that trade unions announced a nationwide general strike on 11 November over housing issues.
The tenants’ union said the real‑estate company eventually agreed to let Abascal return by paying 30 % of her pension over eight years, but the settlement came too late to prevent the outrage.

What was said

"All my love to Maricarmen’s family and loved ones. A hug as well to all of us who feel this loss as our own today,"

— Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, statement on X (Independent).

"Now, following her passing, we are left with the example of the fight she waged and the legacy Maricarmen has left behind. And, above all, we will honour what she always asked of us: 'Fight, keep fighting for what’s yours',"

— Ángel Víctor Torres, Spain’s territorial policy minister (Independent).

"I haven’t managed to defend my home, but I have fought so that others can learn to fight for what’s theirs,"

— Maricarmen Abascal, video recorded from a hospital bed after the eviction (Guardian).

"The housing crisis will sweep this government away,"

— Gabriel Rufián, ERC MP (Independent).

"This isn’t a death; it’s a murder,"

— Irene Montero, Podemos MEP (Guardian).

"A hug also to everyone who’s feeling this loss today as their own,"

— Pedro Sánchez, social media post (Guardian).

"Abascal’s plight has served to awaken awareness across all of Spain, lighting a fuse that cannot be put out,"

— Mónica García, Spain’s health minister (Guardian).

How it came about

The eviction of Abascal followed a series of housing‑crisis protests that began in late September, including a large encampment at Puerta del Sol that grew after her removal (Madrid protest camp grows after 87‑year‑old eviction). The protests were fueled by a shortage of hundreds of thousands of homes and rents that have doubled in a decade. Parliament debated emergency decrees to ban evictions until 2030 and tighten rental rules, but right‑wing parties rejected the measures on 2 October (Spain’s right‑wing parties reject housing crisis decrees). The backlash contributed to Prime Minister Sánchez calling a snap general election for 29 November, and the tenants’ union announced a general strike for 11 November. The combination of the eviction, the failed decrees, and the election announcement turned Abascal’s case into a symbolic rallying point for the nationwide housing movement.

Key facts

Maricarmen Abascal, 87, died after hospitalization following her eviction. (independent.co.uk)
Her eviction last month triggered protests involving about 10,000 people in Madrid. (theguardian.com)
Trade unions announced a nationwide general strike on 11 November over housing issues. (independent.co.uk)
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez expressed condolences on X. (independent.co.uk)
Abascal recorded a video from her hospital bed urging support for the movement. (theguardian.com)