Published 08/10/2026 – 5:55 GMT+2•Updated 8:41 María del Carmen Abascal, the 87-year-old woman whose eviction from her former home in Madrid sparked nationwide protests across Spain and sparked a political crisis in the country that culminated in the government’s call for early elections, died Wednesday while in hospital. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez led the way on social media offering his condolences after housing activists and Abascal’s lawyer announced his death. Known widely as “Maricarmen”, she had become a symbol for tenants fighting Spain’s housing affordability crisis. “All my love for Maricarmen’s family and loved ones,” Sánchez wrote in a post on Emotions turned to anger in the street among protesters gathered near Spain’s Parliament chanting “Maricarmen lives, the fight continues!” “Very sad. And above all to think that she is the cause, the head of all this revolution that has occurred and that she cannot see it,” said Iciar López, a 32-year-old psychologist and protester in the capital, Madrid. “It makes me so sad that she can’t see if something turns out right. Honestly, that’s what makes me the most angry.” Spaniards, increasingly frustrated by housing costs, periodically march in major cities demanding action from lawmakers. But a new wave of outrage has swept the Iberian nation since September 23, when Maricarmen, who used a wheelchair, was carried on a stretcher from her home of seven decades after police cordoned off the street and expelled protesters. She was taken to a hospital due to her fragile health. Televised images of the eviction caused thousands of people to protest in Madrid and other cities in the country. Maricarmen’s lawyer, Beatriz Duro, did not reveal the cause of death when she confirmed it to Cadena Ser radio. Duro said she and the activists were devastated. “The case of Maricarmen, which captured media attention and went around the world, leaves us with the image of the shameful violence of this type of evictions and the impact they can have on people’s health,” said Duro. He was expected to return home after leaving the hospital. The real estate company that evicted her to rent the property at a much higher price finally bowed to immense public pressure and agreed to let her return to the apartment. “Although a historic agreement was reached that would have allowed him to return home, this solution came too late,” the Madrid Tenants Union said in a statement on Wednesday. “It was a totally avoidable situation after a harrowing experience.” The average rent in Spain has almost doubled in the last 10 years. The Government said that 26% of Spaniards who rent a home spend an average of 40% of their income on rent and utilities, compared to the European Union average of 18% of tenants who do so. Protesters camped in Madrid’s central Puerta del Sol observed a minute of silence after learning of his death. Maricarmen spent almost her entire life in her apartment, where she first lived with her parents and her brother. She later worked as secretary of the board of directors of a pharmaceutical company, according to Spanish media. After retiring in 1998, she spent her days walking around the neighborhood, running errands and caring for treasured items in her home. Spanish media reported that black and white family photographs were among the only things he had brought to the hospital. “Maricarmen just wanted to die at home. She didn’t ask for anything else,” said Eugenio Melchor, 22, at the protest in Madrid. “She was dying at home and she almost did it. They killed her. I mean, there’s no other word for that, and I hope those responsible for this pay and go to trial.” Additional sources • AP