Maricarmen dies just hours before she was due to return home after eviction

Maricaren's eviction in September turned an elderly tenant's case into a national symbol of Spain's housing crisis

Maricarmen Abascal was supposed to be going home. Instead, the 87-year-old died in a Madrid hospital on Wednesday evening, October 7, just hours before she was due to sign a new rental agreement that would have allowed her to return to the flat where she had lived for more than seven decades.

Her death has prompted an outpouring of anger and grief across Spain, with protesters who had gathered in Madrid over the country's housing crisis immediately taking to the streets to remember her.
Maricarmen died at the Hospital Gregorio Marañón at around 7.30 pm on Wednesday after spending 15 days in hospital following her eviction on September 23. Her health had deteriorated significantly since she was removed from her home in Madrid's Retiro district. The circumstances surrounding her eviction had already made her a symbol of Spain's housing crisis.

Maricarmen had lived in the same home for more than 70 years

Maricarmen had lived in the flat on Calle Sainz de Baranda since the 1950s. She had an old rental contract with a relatively low rent, originally signed by her father and later transferred to her mother and then to her. After the property changed hands, the new owner argued that the old rental agreement had come to an end and sought a new contract at a rent Maricarmen could not afford.

There were several attempts to stop the eviction, including legal action and negotiations involving her lawyer, the Sindicato de Inquilinas and the Ministry of Housing. But on September 23, after several previous attempts had been postponed, Maricarmen was finally removed from the property.
The images of the elderly woman being taken from her home on a stretcher and transferred to an ambulance shocked many people across Spain. She was taken to hospital and remained there until her death.

She had finally reached an agreement to go home

Perhaps the most painful part of the story is that Maricarmen had actually reached an agreement that would have allowed her to return. On September 28, an agreement was reached with the company that owned the property. The deal would have given her a new affordable rental contract, with an eight-year term. The contract was due to be signed on Wednesday, but Maricarmen's condition suddenly worsened that morning. She was sedated and died that evening, surrounded by relatives and people from the tenants' union who had supported her throughout the fight.

The Sindicato de Inquilinas said the agreement that would have allowed her to return home had come too late, describing what she had been through as an “absolutely avoidable” process.

Protesters took to the streets after her death

The news reached protesters camping in Madrid's Puerta del Sol on Wednesday night, where the atmosphere quickly changed from protest to mourning. People gathered for a minute's silence before beginning a march towards the Congreso de los Diputados. Hundreds of people took part, carrying candles and chanting slogans including “Maricarmen se va, pero la lucha sigue” – Maricarmen is gone, but the fight continues – and “En nuestra lucha, Maricarmen vive” – Maricarmen lives on in our struggle.
Other chants were much angrier. Protesters shouted “No son muertes, son asesinatos” – these are not deaths, they are murders – along with “Ni un desahucio más”, meaning no more evictions. The protesters said the best way to honour Maricarmen was to continue the fight for affordable housing and greater protection for people facing eviction.

Several dozen people also gathered outside her former home, lighting candles and leaving flowers and messages. 

Her death has reignited the debate over housing in Spain

Maricarmen's case had already become much bigger than one eviction. The protests that followed her removal from her home led to a large-scale housing movement, including the ongoing camp in Puerta del Sol. The Government subsequently approved two housing decrees, including measures relating to evictions and rental contracts, but both were rejected by Congress last Friday. The political fallout has been considerable, with Pedro Sánchez announcing early general elections for November 29.

Now Maricarmen's death has brought the housing crisis back into the centre of the debate. The Plataforma de Afectados por la Hipoteca (PAH) has said it will continue to remember her during future demonstrations.

People close to Maricarmen have also said that there are people who should take responsibility for what happened, arguing that if the eviction had been suspended, Maricarmen might still be alive.
Those are serious claims, and the exact cause of Maricarmen's death should not be confused with the anger surrounding her eviction. What is clear is that she never made it back to the home she had spent most of her life in. And that is why, for many of the people now protesting in Madrid, Maricarmen's story is no longer just about one elderly woman losing her home. 

Image 1:Sindicato de Inquilinas e Inquilinos de Madrid
Image 2:Sindicato de Estudiantes