Spanish housing crisis: Elderly man dies after being evicted

(Deutsche Welle Chinese website) Mary Carmen Abascal passed away. The Spanish Tenants Association issued a statement on Wednesday (October 7) saying: "We regret to announce that Marie Carmen passed away today."

The 87-year-old retired woman came to international attention after she was evicted from her Madrid home. The tenants' association said the real estate company had tripled the rent in Mary Carmen. Mary Carmen has lived in this house for more than 70 years.

After the eviction, Mary Carmen was taken to the hospital due to energy failure. A few days ago, the real estate company reached a rental agreement with her, but she was unable to return home from the hospital. The tenants' association said a solution had been reached too late. "This was a completely avoidable situation, but it was such a painful process."

The deportation of Marie Carmen sparked nationwide protests in Spain. For many Spaniards, her experience is a reflection of the country's housing shortage and the impact of skyrocketing housing prices on ordinary people. A demonstrator's sign read: "We are all Mary Carmen."

Spanish unions announce general strike

Prime Minister Sanchez of the Socialist Workers Party leads a minority government that hopes to pass proposals to deal with the housing crisis in parliament after the protests, but fails to gain majority support. On Monday, Sanchez announced new elections for the end of November. Currently, the opposition conservative People's Party and the far-right Vox party are leading the polls.

Prime Minister Sanchez sent his condolences to the family of María Carmen. He wrote on the

Spanish trade unions have announced a general strike on November 11.

Read more: Spanish Prime Minister Unable to Resist Pressure, Announces Snap Election

Many cities in Europe are facing skyrocketing rents, and the solutions vary widely from place to place.

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