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Maricarmen, symbol of Spain's housing protests, dies

On Tuesday, the Madrid Tenants' Union announced that 87-year-old Maricarmen Abascal had died following her forced eviction from her Madrid home in September. The union called her case "a turning point in the history of this country."
Abascal had lived in Madrid's Retiro district for more than 70 years before her eviction on September 23. Her rent surged from $560 to $2,970, forcing her removal from the apartment.
Hospitalized since her eviction, Abascal remained unable to finalize a return agreement the property fund eventually offered at a lower rate. She died before the arrangement could be completed.
Her plight sparked nationwide protests over Spain's housing crisis, pressuring the government. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez consequently decided on Monday to call an early general election following mass demonstrations.
Abascal became a symbol for Spain's housing crisis, her case representing the broader struggle over rental regulations and tenant protections. The Madrid Tenants' Union continues demanding systemic policy changes nationwide.

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Spanish pensioner who sparked housing protests has died

Maricarmen ⁠Abascal, the octogenarian woman whose eviction set off housing protests across Spain, has died, a tenant's union in Madrid has said.

54 minutes ago·Bonn, Germany

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Euronews

Center

Breaking news. - Maricarmen, symbol of Spain's housing protests, dies

The 87-year-old woman had withstood four eviction attempts in the past decade. In a final message from her hospital bed, she urged protesters: "Fight!"

56 minutes ago·Lyon, France

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France24

Center

Maricarmen Abascal Dies, the Retired Woman Whose Eviction Sparked Protests for Housing in Spain

The Sindicato de Inquilinas confirmed the death of the 87-year-old woman, who had been hospitalized since her eviction on 23 September. Her expulsion from the apartment she had lived in for more than seven decades motivated a wave of protests and pressure on the political class to implement measures against the housing crisis. "We will continue to fight, as you always wanted," the organization said.

1 hour ago·Issy-les-Moulineaux, France

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