Evicted at 87, She Died Before She Could Return Home
Maricarmen Abascal’s eviction sparked housing protests and a political crisis. Now she has died, as Spain prepares for a snap election and a nationwide general strike.
MADRID: Maricarmen Abascal died in hospital on 7 October, two weeks after being evicted from the Madrid flat where she had lived for around 70 years. The following day, she was due to sign a lease that would have allowed her to return home.
On 23 September, she was carried out on a stretcher and taken to Gregorio Marañón Hospital, while supporters gathered outside to prevent the eviction. Images of the 87-year-old’s removal helped ignite demonstrations and protest camps in Madrid and other Spanish cities.
The dispute centred on her family’s long-standing lease. Her father had originally signed it, and her mother later took over the tenancy. After buying the property, Urbagestión challenged Abascal’s right to continue the agreement. The company demanded a new rent she could not afford, according to news agency EFE’s fact-checking service.
Five days after the eviction, an agreement was reached that would give her another eight years in the flat, with rent capped at 30 per cent of her net income. She remained in hospital and died before she could return.
The tenants’ union said after her death that the solution had come “too late”. Urbagestión’s owner, Fernando Alonso, told Telemadrid that the company had wanted her to return and that the contract was awaiting her signature.
Housing Protests Trigger Snap Election
From hospital, Abascal had appealed to Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez to stop evictions when residents had nowhere else to live. The protests put his government under pressure to act.
The government adopted two packages of housing measures on 29 September. But PP, Vox, Junts and UPN voted them down in parliament on 2 October. The defeat triggered a political crisis. Three days later, Sánchez announced a snap election, now scheduled for 29 November.
The government is still trying to secure approval for the measures. Revised versions were adopted on 6 October, and the first took effect on 8 October. It strengthens protection against eviction for vulnerable people without alternative accommodation.
The decree requires parliamentary ratification to remain in force. The government acknowledges that it lacks support for the second package, which would provide for automatic renewal of residential leases.
Trade Unions Call General Strike
While the government battles to secure its housing measures, the protest movement has gained organised labour’s backing. UGT, CCOO, other trade unions and tenants’ organisations agreed on Wednesday to call a nationwide 24-hour general strike on 11 November.
They link the housing struggle to wages and the rising cost of living: earnings should cover the cost of a decent home. Their demands include more secure tenancies, more public housing and action against property speculation.
The strike is scheduled for 18 days before the election, taking the housing dispute into workplaces across Spain. The organisations closed their announcement with a dedication to the woman who never made it home: “In memory of Maricarmen.”
National Security Begins at Home
Spending millions on defence against external threats does little good if the people being protected cannot afford a home or meet their basic needs. National resilience depends on the state’s ability to provide housing, healthcare and social security, and on people’s trust that public institutions will stand by them in a crisis. When working people are priced out of their communities and elderly residents lose their homes, that trust erodes. Caring for people is a foundation of a country’s strength and preparedness.
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