The sudden death of an 87-year-old woman two weeks after her eviction from her lifelong Madrid home has injected new intensity into Spain's housing protest movement, deepening political polarization ahead of next month's snap national election.
María del Carmen Abascal, widely known as Maricarmen, passed away in a hospital on Wednesday, shortly after her high-profile eviction on September 23 galvanized the country. Her death has quickly transformed her into a powerful symbol for millions of Spaniards struggling under the weight of a severe housing affordability crisis.
Overnight, sympathizers gathered to pay their respects at an impromptu shrine in Madrid's central Puerta del Sol. The square has hosted a camp-in of around 1,000 protesters for two weeks, sparked initially by Maricarmen’s eviction. Mourners left candles, letters, and flowers. Outside her former sixth-floor apartment near Madrid's Retiro park—where she had lived for seven decades—a paper note with a hand-drawn black heart read, "Rest in Peace Maricarmen." Other notes left on the street vowed that her death would not be in vain and pledged to continue the struggle.
Among the protesters, grief has rapidly turned to anger. Many are convinced that the stress of the eviction caused her death. During the eviction last month, thousands of demonstrators watched as police carried Maricarmen, who used a wheelchair, out of her home on a stretcher. She was subsequently taken to a hospital where she later died. Her lawyer has not disclosed the official cause of death.
"She was the flame that led us to start this camp-in and protest," said María Holgado, a 28-year-old receptionist participating in the Madrid camp-in. Holgado expressed deep sadness over the loss but added that it would give protesters more energy and conviction to demand their rights "so that there is not one more murder."
"The blame falls on the property owners and vulture funds that are taking advantage of a basic right and making loads of money from it," she added. Holgado noted that she and her partner can only afford a tiny, one-room apartment, a situation reflecting a broader national trend where average rents in Spain have nearly doubled over the past decade, according to real estate portal Idealista.
The momentum is spreading beyond the capital, with similar camp-ins and protests active in Barcelona and other major Spanish cities. Madrid’s Tenants Union, a key organizer of the movement, has called for another major march on Thursday.
The political fallout from Maricarmen's eviction and subsequent death has shaken the country's leadership. After televised images of her eviction went viral, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez attempted to pass emergency housing legislation to halt evictions and curb real estate speculation. When right-wing parties blocked the measures in Parliament, Sánchez called a snap election for November 29 and reissued similar decrees to be ratified by an interim parliament.
Sánchez, who hopes the housing crisis will mobilize progressive voters, quickly offered his condolences to Maricarmen's family on social media. To retain power, his Socialist party must maintain its coalition with its junior partner, the left-wing Sumar party—which is rebranding as Frente Amplio for the upcoming vote. The coalition currently trails right-wing parties in the polls.
Alejandro Quiroga, a politics professor at Madrid’s Complutense University, noted that the tragedy could serve as a milestone that mobilizes progressive voters, particularly those supporting Frente Amplio, who have long advocated for stricter housing regulations. "In political terms, this will be remembered as a milestone," Quiroga said. "Her death completes the narrative that evictions and real estate speculation literally kill."
Meanwhile, conservative opponents have accused the Prime Minister of exploiting the tragedy for electoral gain. Madrid’s conservative mayor, José Luis Martínez-Almeida, offered his condolences but sharply criticized the political reaction, stating, "My condolences? Yes. Participating in Sánchez’s campaign for Nov. 29? No."
To stay in power, Sánchez will likely need to maintain the current coalition between his Socialists and a smaller party further to the left. They have been trailing the right-wing parties in polls.
