Maria del Carmen Abascal, the 87-year-old woman whose eviction sparked massive housing protests across Spain, has died in a Madrid hospital after a protracted legal battle with a real estate firm over the home she had lived in for seven decades.
Her death was announced by the Madrid Tenants’ Union, prompting hundreds of protesters in Madrid’s central Puerta del Sol square to hold a minute of silence for Abascal, widely known as ‘Maricarmen’.
Abascal became a symbol of growing anger over Spain’s housing crisis, where the average rent has almost doubled over the past decade, with protests often blaming investment “vulture funds” – such as Blackstone and BlackRock – for the trend.
The protests erupted in force on September 23, when riot police dispersed hundreds of activists attempting to prevent Abascal’s removal from her Madrid apartment, with images of an elderly woman being taken away on a stretcher fueling public outrage.
Three days later, tens of thousands marched through the Spanish capital, establishing a camp in Puerta del Sol square and sparking a major political crisis.
Abascal’s family first rented the apartment in 1956, with the tenancy passing from her father to her mother and eventually to her. In 2018, the real estate company Urbagestion purchased the property and later challenged her right to remain. Following a lengthy court battle, the company offered her a new rent contract at around €1,600 ($1,800) per month, compared with the roughly €500 she had previously paid from her monthly pension of €1,400.
While three attempts to evict her were postponed due to resistance from local activists, the fourth succeeded. Following the backlash, Urbagestion agreed to let Abascal return to the apartment at a rent close to her previous payments. However, she died before she could sign the agreement and move back.
Abascal’s cause of death is unclear, but multiple local media outlets reported that her physical condition had worsened amid the legal battle.
Commenting on her death, the Madrid Tenants’ Union called Abascal’s situation “a turning point in the history of this country.”
“Speculation costs lives, and today rent profiteering has finished killing our colleague Maricarmen,” the union’s spokeswoman said.
Some of the messages laid at an impromptu memorial read, “it’s not a death, it’s a killing,” and “the fight will continue.”
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez also weighed in, expressing condolences. “All my affection to Maricarmen’s family and loved ones. A hug also to everyone who today feels this loss as our own. Rest in peace,” he wrote on X.
The Spanish have struggled with soaring rent costs for years, with 26% of renters spending at least 40% of their income on housing and utilities, according to government figures. Meanwhile, A 2024 investigation by the nonprofit Civio identified more than 185,000 rental properties held by large corporate landlords in the regions surveyed, around half linked to US banks and investment funds.
US giant Blackstone controlled nearly 19,600 rental properties, while BlackRock has indirect exposure through its stake in Ares Management, another major investor in Spanish housing.
The protests sparked a major political upheaval in Spain. After parliament rejected emergency housing decrees, Sanchez called a snap general election for November 29. His government subsequently approved a revised 21-measure package, including stronger eviction protections, rent controls and restrictions on speculative property purchases, though it has yet to be ratified.
