Thousands March in Madrid After Death of Evicted 87-Year-Old Woman

Thousands of people took part in a protest march in the Spanish capital, Madrid, on Thursday. The demonstration came a day after the death of María del Carmen Abascal, who was 87. Her eviction from her home had become a symbol of the housing crisis in Spain.

A symbol of the crisis

Many protesters refer to the woman as Maricarmen and see her as a figure for their cause. According to The New York Times, demonstrators describe her as a "martyr" and call the rise in rents "madness". These words show how part of the public views the situation in the housing market.

What is known

The available information is quite limited. It is known that the march took place on Thursday, that thousands took part and that it followed Abascal's death. The source does not give details about the circumstances of her death or about what exactly the protesters demanded from the authorities. The circumstances of the eviction are also not set out in this short report.

It is not yet known how the events will affect housing policy in Spain. What is clear is that the fate of an elderly woman was enough to bring a substantial number of people onto the streets and to draw attention to housing availability and rental costs in the country.