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Spain's Protesters See 'Madness' of Rising Rent and a 'Martyr' in Maricarmen
- Madrid
- Spain
- Pedro Sánchez (Spanish politician)
- Pedro Sánchez
- Santiago Abascal
- Gregorio Marañón
- People's Party (Spain)
- Retiro (Madrid)
What happened
María del Carmen Abascal, an 87-year-old Madrid woman known as Maricarmen, died in a hospital on Wednesday, two weeks after police carried her on a stretcher from her home of seven decades in a Sept. 23 eviction. Her case set off nationwide housing protests and helped lead Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez to call a Nov. 29 snap election.
Summary
María del Carmen Abascal, 87, known across Spain as Maricarmen, died Wednesday in a Madrid hospital. She had been there since Sept. 23, when police cordoned off her street, removed protesters and carried her, a wheelchair user, out of her home of seven decades on a stretcher. The real estate company behind the eviction wanted to rent the apartment for much more. CNN reports her rent was raised from €500 to €2,650. Under public pressure, the company agreed to let her return, but she never left the hospital. Her lawyer, Beatriz Duro, did not disclose a cause of death. [2] [3] [4] [7] [9] [11]
Her death brought grief and anger to the streets. Thousands marched from Madrid's Puerta del Sol toward Parliament on Wednesday night, some chanting, "This is not a death. It's a murder!" Thousands marched again Thursday. About 1,000 people have camped in the square since her eviction, and protests continue in Barcelona and other cities. Renters there describe high rents, cramped rooms and wages that have not kept up. Average rents have nearly doubled in 10 years, according to the website Idealista. Trade unions have called a nationwide general strike over housing for Nov. 11. [1] [3] [7] [10]
The case is now at the heart of national politics. After Parliament rejected emergency decrees meant to curb evictions and limit rent pressures, Sánchez called a Nov. 29 election and reissued similar decrees for an interim Parliament to ratify. He offered condolences, as did conservative opposition leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo, who urged that her death not be used for political gain. Madrid's conservative mayor, José Luis Martínez-Almeida, accused Sánchez of politicizing it. Right-wing parties have called for police to clear the Puerta del Sol camp, which the government has refused. [2] [3] [4] [7] [8] [10]
Summary written by Vox Populi News from the 12 sources below. See all sources
Key questions
Why was Maricarmen evicted?
The real estate company that evicted her wanted to rent the apartment at a much higher price; the New York Post says an investment fund had bought her house. CNN reports her rent had been raised from €500 to €2,650. [2] [3] [4] [9]
Sources 12
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1The New York TimesRead on The New York Times (opens in a new tab)
Spain's Protesters See 'Madness' of Rising Rent and a 'Martyr' in Maricarmen
Thousands of protesters marched in Madrid on Thursday, a day after the death of María del Carmen Abascal, an 87-year-old whose eviction became a symbol of the country's housing crisis.
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2Fox NewsRead on Fox News (opens in a new tab)
Woman, 87, dies after being carried from home of 70 years on stretcher during eviction in Spain
María del Carmen Abascal died days after Pedro Sánchez called a snap Nov. 29 vote over failed housing measures The death of an 87-year-old woman who was evicted from her longtime home has intensified…
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3New York PostRead on New York Post (opens in a new tab)
Spanish woman whose eviction sparked housing protests dies at 87 as crowds chant 'murder'
Maricarmen Abascal, the 87-year-old Spanish woman whose dramatic eviction last month sparked mass housing protests that led to an early election, has died, the Madrid tenants' union said on…
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4NBC NewsRead on NBC News (opens in a new tab)
The 87-year-old woman whose eviction sparked nationwide protests in Spain dies
MADRID -- María del Carmen Abascal, the 87-year-old woman whose eviction from her longtime Madrid home sparked nationwide protests across Spain and unleashed a political crisis, died on Wednesday…
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5The Wall Street JournalRead on The Wall Street Journal (opens in a new tab)
In Spain, Grief and Politics Mix After Death of Evicted Woman
MADRID -- Hours after the death of an elderly woman known as Maricarmen in Madrid, the political jockeying over her legacy had already begun.
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6HuffPostRead on HuffPost (opens in a new tab)
Maricarmen, The 87-year-old Woman Whose Eviction Shook Spain, Dies In Hospital
María del Carmen Abascal's eviction from her longtime Madrid home sparked nationwide protests across Spain and unleashed a political crisis.
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7AP NEWSRead on AP NEWS (opens in a new tab)
Death of 87-year-old Maricarmen is reenergizing Spain's protests to stop evictions
MADRID (AP) -- María del Carmen Abascal had spent most of her life quietly living in the apartment her family rented decades before in downtown Madrid.
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8U.S. News & World ReportRead on U.S. News & World Report (opens in a new tab)
Evicted Spanish Octogenarian Maricarmen Abascal, Heart of Spain's Housing Protests, Has Died
MADRID, Oct 7 (Reuters) - Maricarmen Abascal, the 87-year-old woman whose eviction sparked housing protests in Spain, has died, Madrid's tenants' union said on Wednesday.
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9CNN InternationalRead on CNN International (opens in a new tab)
The 87-year old who became a symbol of Spain's eviction crisis has died
Maria del Carmen Abascal, the 87-year-old woman whose eviction from her Madrid home sparked a government crisis in Spain, has died, the Madrid Tenants' Union announced on Tuesday.
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10Los Angeles TimesRead on Los Angeles Times (opens in a new tab)
Death of 87-year-old Maricarmen is reenergizing Spain's protests to stop evictions
With housing poised to shape Spain's Nov. 29 election, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez is pushing measures on evictions and speculation while conservative parties oppose rent regulation.
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11The Seattle TimesRead on The Seattle Times (opens in a new tab)
Maricarmen, the 87-year-old woman whose eviction shook Spain, has died in hospital
MADRID (AP) -- María del Carmen Abascal, the 87-year-old woman whose eviction from her longtime Madrid home sparked nationwide protests across Spain and unleashed a political crisis, died on…
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12NewserRead on Newser (opens in a new tab)
Woman, 87, Dies Weeks After Eviction That Shook Spain
Protesters in Madrid chant, 'Maricarmen lives, the fight goes on!' María del Carmen Abascal, the 87-year-old woman whose eviction from her longtime Madrid home sparked nationwide protests across…
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