Woman evicted in Madrid, whose case sparked protests, has died aged 87

Maricarmen Abascal, an 87-year-old Spanish woman whose eviction from her Madrid home set off widespread protests, has died in hospital. A tenants' association that had backed her fight against the eviction announced her death on Wednesday.

Abascal died two weeks after police removed her from the home where she had lived for 70 years. The eviction followed years of dispute with the landlord. After public outrage, the property's new owners allowed the elderly woman to return, at a lower rent.

"We regret to announce that Maricarmen has died today," the association said in a statement.

Protests and political fallout

The eviction on 23 September sparked mass protests against the housing crisis under the slogan "Ni una Maricarmen más" ("Not one more Maricarmen"). Demonstrators set up a camp in Madrid's Puerta del Sol square, while the government adopted decrees aimed at strengthening tenant protections.

However, proposals by left-wing Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez's minority government to tackle the housing crisis were rejected in a parliamentary vote on 2 October. On Monday Sánchez called an early parliamentary election for 29 November. Spain's two main trade union federations, CCOO and UGT, have also announced a one-day general strike on 11 November over the housing crisis.

A new wave of anger

Abascal's death provoked renewed public outrage. In Puerta del Sol, protesters honoured her memory with a minute of silence, and candles and flowers were placed outside her former home. Hundreds of people also marched to parliament, chanting "Murderers, murderers, murderers" and "These are not deaths, they are killings".