Protest and remembrance: Tens of thousands in Spain on the streets for Maricarmen
Quick Look
- After the death of 87-year-old Maricarmen Abascal, who had recently been evicted from her apartment in Madrid, tens of thousands of people took to the streets in Spain to commemorate her.
- In Madrid, a march took place from the Puerta del Sol to her former home in the Retiro district, with at least 20,000 participants counted.
- The demonstrators chanted slogans such as “Vultures out of our neighborhoods!” and “We are all Maricarmen!” and saw it as a symbol in the fight against the housing crisis.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
Maricarmen Abascal had lived in her apartment in Madrid for over 70 years. After an investor increased the rental price by 275 percent to 2,650 euros, she was evicted from her apartment and then taken to hospital, where she died shortly afterwards.
After the death of 87-year-old Maricarmen Abascal, who had recently been evicted from her apartment, tens of thousands of people took to the streets in Spain in memory of her.
In the capital Madrid, a march took place from the central Puerta del Sol square to the house of the deceased in the Retiro district, about three kilometers away. An improvised memorial with candles, flowers and posters was set up at Puerta del Sol, where hundreds of people had set up a protest camp.
There were memorial marches in the evening not only in the capital, but in many other cities across the country. The police estimated the number of participants in Madrid alone to be at least 20,000. People there chanted, among other things, “Vultures out of our neighborhoods!” and “We are all Maricarmen!”
"Maricarmen will become an icon of the struggle. She woke us up and made us say: 'Enough!'," 48-year-old teacher and demonstrator Rosa Marin told AFP. “We can no longer accept this situation,” she emphasized, referring to the housing crisis in the country.
Maricarmen became a symbol
Looking at the protest camp and the mass demonstrations of the past few days, demonstrator Anton Alexander says: "Maricarmen was the straw that broke the camel's back - she triggered all of this." Maricarmen is “a symbol”. “I hope this is a turning point,” he added.
Maricarmen Abascal, known by all Spaniards only by her first name, died on Wednesday. The pensioner was taken to hospital due to exhaustion after being evicted from her apartment on September 23rd.
The eviction sparked nationwide mass protests, a protest camp in central Madrid and eventually the announcement of new elections. At the height of the protests, Maricarmen addressed the demonstrators from the hospital.
The old woman was taken from her apartment in Madrid on a stretcher after an investor increased the rental price by 275 percent to 2,650 euros, according to the tenants' association. Maricarmen had lived in her apartment for more than 70 years.
What to Watch
AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
The protests will lead to further mass rallies until concrete action is taken to address the housing crisis.
Likely · Within weeks
Open Questions
- Will there be concrete measures to combat rising rents?
- What legal consequences does eviction have for the landlord?
- How will the announced new elections affect the housing market?
