Maricarmen Abascal

Spanish pensioner whose eviction sparked nationwide protests dies, union says

Maricarmen Abascal, 87, was forcibly removed on a stretcher from her apartment of more than 70 years in September.

Oct 7, 2026 · byBBC

Maricarmen Abascal, whose eviction sparked major protests in Spain, dies aged 87

Maricarmen, as she was known, had been hospitalized since she was carried out on a stretcher from the apartment where she had lived for seven decades

Oct 7, 2026 · byThe Independent

Evicted pensioner Maricarmen Abascal, heart of Spain's housing protests, dies

Maricarmen ​Abascal, the 87-year-old woman whose eviction sparked housing ​protests in Spain, has died, Madrid's tenants' union said on Wednesday. Massive protests following Abascal's eviction spiralled into a political crisis, eventually leading Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez to call a snap election.

Oct 7, 2026 · byFrance 24

Evicted Spanish octogenarian Maricarmen Abascal, heart of Spain's housing protests, has died

Tens of thousands protest against Spain's housing crisis

Tens of thousands of people have taken to the streets of Spanish cities in protest at the country's housing crisis in the wake of the forcible eviction of 87-year-old Maricarmen Abascal.

Oct 3, 2026 · bySky News

How Europe’s housing crisis is fuelling a new movement

As soaring rents and house prices across Europe​ feed into the political discourse, campaigners believe they have a rare opportunity to force housing to the top of the agenda Don’t get This Is Europe delivered to your inbox? Sign up here It was billed as one of the largest real-estate events in Europe, attracting as many as 15,000 people ranging from investment firms to developers. But as the District trade show and summit got under way last week in Madrid, housing campaigners from 140 organisations across the globe turned up, intent on holding their own “counter-summit” to push back against the idea of housing as a financial asset. Many of the campaigners arrived in the Spanish capital as Maricarmen Abascal, an 87-year-old woman who uses a wheelchair, was being evicted from the apartment where she had lived for seven decades. As anger over the eviction gave way to days of protests and an encampment in the heart of Madrid, the presence of campaigners from Italy to Ireland was a poignant reminder of the global dimension of the crisis. Continue reading...

Sep 30, 2026 · byThe Guardian

They broke down an 87-year-old’s door with a battering ram. Then Spain erupted

The eviction of Maricarmen Abascal, who was carried out of her home of 70 years on a stretcher, has become a lightning rod for nationwide protests against Spain’s housing crisis.

Sep 30, 2026 · byThe Sydney Morning Herald

It shouldn’t take the eviction of an 87-year-old to get Spain’s housing crisis fixed | María Ramírez

Pédro Sanchez is an admirer of Zohran Mamdani. It’s time Spanish politicians emulated the New York mayor’s relentless focus on affordable homes Maricarmen Abascal is a determined woman who uses a wheelchair to get around. She has needed her determination over the years she has spent fighting the real estate company that forced her out of her Madrid apartment last week. She had lived in the flat for more than 70 of her 87 years. Police forced their way into her apartment after a judge approved Abascal’s eviction . By then, protesters had gathered around the building, including the actor Carlos Bardem, Javier’s brother. Teargas was used against them. Abascal was taken to a Madrid hospital, suffering from anxiety and extreme exhaustion, while her supporters chanted: “You are not alone.” María Ramírez is a journalist and deputy managing editor of elDiario.es, a news outlet in Spain Continue reading...

Sep 30, 2026 · byThe Guardian

Renters’ rebellion: An 87-year-old’s eviction ignited a movement in Madrid

Last week, Maricarmen Abascal became the symbol of Europe's housing crisis when she was evicted from her apartment on a stretcher. Her story sparked a mass protest and forced Spain's government to act.

Sep 29, 2026 · byCourthouse News

Spain set to ban evictions after nationwide outrage over 87-year-old removed from home

Demonstrators remained camped in a major Madrid square to protest against the removal on a stretcher of Maricarmen Abascal

Sep 29, 2026 · byThe Independent

Deal for evicted Spanish pensioner as PM seeks new housing law

A Madrid pensioner whose eviction sparked nationwide protests that have piled pressure on the government to resolve Spain's housing crisis can return home after a deal with the property's owners, her lawyer said on Monday. Unaffordable housing has been a running sore for years in Spain, but the outcry over last Wednesday's eviction of 87-year-old Maricarmen Abascal thrust the crisis to the forefront of the political debate. Demonstrators have set up roughly 100 tents in Madrid's emblematic Puerta del Sol square since Saturday night, while tens of thousands of people have protested across the country.

Sep 29, 2026 · byFrance 24

Woman, 87, whose eviction sparked protests can return home, lawyer says

Evicted 87-year-old Maricarmen Abascal can return to the apartment she has lived in for decades, her lawyer has said.

Sep 29, 2026 · bySky News

Evicted Spanish pensioner can move back home, lawyer says

The eviction of Maricarmen Abascal, 87, prompted large-scale protests across Spain.

Sep 29, 2026 · byBBC

Eviction of 87-year-old puts Spain’s deepening housing crisis in the spotlight

Images of Maricarmen Abascal being forcibly removed from her home sparked protests and a reckoning over the country’s soaring real estate market Images of an octogenarian being evicted from the home she had lived in for seven decades on a stretcher, flanked by protesters and police officers, sparked indignation across Spain. Hours later, people began taking to the streets. In Madrid, an estimated 10,000 people turned up on Wednesday, wielding signs that read “Shame” and “Out with the vulture funds”, to protest against the eviction of Maricarmen Abascal. From the northern tip of Spain to the south, people poured into plazas calling for a nationwide reckoning over access to housing. Continue reading...

Sep 27, 2026 · byThe Guardian

Thousands protest in Madrid against Spain’s housing crisis

Thousands of protesters in Madrid demand answers after the eviction of 87-year-old Maricarmen Abascal.

Sep 27, 2026 · byAl Jazeera

Thousands march in Madrid to protest eviction of 87-year-old woman

The eviction of 87-year-old Maricarmen Abascal on Wednesday sparked a thousands-strong protest in the streets of Madrid Saturday, with demonstrators calling for greater protection for tenants. Widespread anger at rising housing costs have put pressure on centre-left Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, whose government is expected to approve a package of pro-tenant measures in its next cabinet meeting.

Sep 26, 2026 · byFrance 24

Protests erupt in Granada after eviction of 87-year-old woman in Madrid

Protesters gathered in Granada in support of 87-year-old Maricarmen Abascal after she was evicted from her Madrid apartment.

Sep 25, 2026 · byEuronews

Eviction of 87-year-old woman sparks housing protests in Madrid

Police escorted Maricarmen Abascal from the apartment she had called home for more than seven decades. The case has reignited debate over Spain's housing crisis, rising rents and protections for long-term tenants.

Sep 23, 2026 · byDeutsche Welle