Spain: Maricarmen, the elderly woman who was evicted and sparked the protests for the right to housing, has died

Maricarmen Abascal, the 87-year-old Spanish woman who had become a symbol of the protests for the right to housing in Spain, has died. She died at the Gregorio Maranón Hospital in Madrid, where she had been hospitalised since 23 September, following her forced eviction – broadcast live on television – on a stretcher from her home in the Retiro neighbourhood, where she had lived for 70 years.

The news of the elderly woman’s death – who had been fighting a legal battle against eviction for seven years – was announced by the Sindicato de Inquilinas, which had supported her in her struggle. “We are sad to announce that Maricarmen passed away today,” the organisation stated in a social media post.

“On 23 September, as you all know, she was evicted and had been in hospital ever since. Although a historic agreement was subsequently reached that would have allowed her to return to her home, this solution came too late,” reports the trade union, which describes the elderly woman’s eviction as “a situation that was entirely avoidable, following a torturous process”.