Maricarmen, an 87-year-old woman whose expulsion shook Spain, dies in hospital

MADRID (AP) — María del Carmen Abascal, the 87-year-old woman whose eviction from her longtime home in Madrid sparked nationwide protests across Spain and triggered a political crisisdied Wednesday while in hospital.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez led the way on social media, offering condolences after housing activists and Abascal’s lawyer announced his death. Known as “Maricarmen”, it had become a symbol for tenants struggling with the housing affordability crisis in Spain.

“All my love to Maricarmen’s family and loved ones,” Sánchez said in a message on X. “A hug also to all of us who feel this loss like ours today. Rest in peace.”

Emotions turned to anger in the streets among demonstrators gathered near the Spanish Parliament who chanted “Maricarmen lives, the fight continues!” »

Iciar López, a 32-year-old psychologist, shared her feelings with The Associated Press at the protest in Madrid.

“A lot of grief. And most of all, the idea that she is the cause, the head of this whole revolution that’s happened, and she can’t see it,” she said. “It makes me very sad that she can’t see if anything comes of it…That’s what annoys me the most, honestly.”

A case that caught the attention of the media and went around the world

Spaniards increasingly frustrated by the cost of housing walks periodically in major cities to demand action from lawmakers. But a new wave of outrage has swept Spain since September 23, when Maricarmen, who used a wheelchair, was carried on a stretcher from the home where she lived seven decades ago, after police cordoned off the street and evicted protesters. She was taken to hospital due to her fragile health.

Television images of the eviction provoked thousands of people to protest in Madrid and other cities in the country.

Maricarmen’s lawyer, Beatriz Duro, did not reveal the cause of death when she confirmed it to Cadena Ser radio. Duro said she and the activists were all devastated.

“The case of Maricarmen, which received media attention and went around the world, leaves us with the image of the shameful violence of this type of evictions and the impact they can have on people’s health,” Duro said.

She was expected to return home after leaving the hospital. The real estate company that had evicted her in order to rent the property at a much higher price finally relented under immense public pressure and agreed to let her return to the apartment.

“Even though a historic agreement was reached that would have allowed her to return home, this solution came too late,” the Madrid Tenants Union said in a statement on Wednesday. “This was a completely avoidable situation after a heartbreaking ordeal.”

Maricarmen’s fate galvanized a social movement

The average rent in Spain has almost doubled over the past 10 years, according to real estate website Idealista. The Spanish government said that 26% of Spaniards who rent a home spend an average of 40% of their income on rent and utilities, compared to an average of 18% in the European Union.

Protesters camped in Madrid’s central Puerta del Sol square observed a minute of silence after learning of his death.

Maricarmen spent almost her entire life in her apartment, where she first lived with her parents and brother. She then worked as secretary to the board of directors of a pharmaceutical company, Spanish daily El País reported. She said both her parents died in the apartment.

After retiring in 1998, she spent her days walking around the neighborhood, running errands and taking care of the treasured items in her home. The newspaper reported that black and white family photographs were among the only things she took with her to the hospital.

“Maricarmen only wanted to die at home. She didn’t ask for anything else,” Eugenio Melchor, 22, said at the protest in Madrid. “She was dying at home and she almost died. They killed her. I mean, there’s no other word for it, and I hope whoever is responsible for this pays and goes to justice.”

Maricarmen’s plight has galvanized a social movement, prompted Spanish unions to announce a general strike next month and intensified pressure on political leaders. Sánchez called early elections on Monday after his government failed last week to pass emergency housing measures through parliament. He now hopes the issue will reinvigorate his socialist party and help it form a new government after the November 29 election.

Housing Minister Isabel Rodríguez also expressed her condolences, writing on X: “I deeply deplore the death of Maricarmen. My condolences to those who accompanied her and fought alongside her until the end.”

Leader of the conservative opposition Alberto Nuñez Feijóowho hopes to overthrow Sánchez and his left-wing coalition, also offered his condolences.

“I would like to express my condolences to the family and loved ones of Maricarmen. No campaign, no party, no political advantage,” wrote the leader of the Popular Party. “Faced with the death of a person, we must only show respect. »

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Wilson reported from Barcelona, ​​Spain. Associated Press writers Teresa Medrano in Madrid and Renata Brito in Barcelona contributed.